Catching the North Wind
by Orijin
Summary: When I finally decided to embark on my journey to capture Suicune, I intended to do it alone. I left behind everything: friends, family, and most of my Pokemon. Now I can't seem to get away from all the people who have insisted on joining me, and to make matters worse, some weirdo has sent his goons out to stalk me. This quest is going to be a lot more complicated than I thought.
1. Prologue

Catching the North Wind

"…_now, as you know, there are three Pokemon that are traditionally referred to as starter Pokemon. This is because they are the Pokemon young trainers, like yourself, choose as their first companions when they begin their journey. Each Pokemon has its own unique advantages and disadvantages, and each requires a special kind of care from its trainer. For example…"_

"_Professor!" I said, exasperated, "I knooow. You told me all of this yesterday. And the day before. Can I please, please just see them now?" I wasn't usually so rude to Professor Elm, but today was a special day and I couldn't bear to hear his lectures on starter Pokemon morphology and typology again. I wanted to get my Pokemon so that I could start my journey!_

"_Yes, of course, Elysia, I apologize. Now, let's see, where did I put them?" Professor Elm picked up his walking stick and used it to push himself to his feet. Age had been unkind to him and he often spoke wistfully of his old mentor, Professor Oak, who had spent his final years in excellent health. It did seem unfair that Elm, whose contributions to science had been as phenomenal and groundbreaking, if not more so, than his predecessor's, should suffer so much more for them. _

_He hobbled over to a cluttered table, muttering to himself, and pushed some papers aside. "Aha, hear they are," he said happily, picking up a thin silver item that looked somewhat like half a headband. "This is your Trainer Band. You'll know all about it, of course."_

_I nodded eagerly and reached out to take the silver band. I'd seen trainer's wearing them and knew that it was an essential part of their gear. In the old days, trainers would carry a handheld Pokedex, Pokegear, and/or a Pokenav. Now, all three of those devices and more had been compacted into the Trainer Band. I turned it this way and that for a moment, then hooked the curved end over my right ear and pressed the flat end to the side of my head and face. It grew uncomfortably warm for a minute and then cooled. I reached up and felt that it had molded itself perfectly to my head with the edge reaching just to the corner of my right eye. It wasn't at all uncomfortable, in fact I could barely feel it, but it would still take some getting used to. _

"_Good," said Elm, nodding at me. "You seem to have that under control. Now," he turned back to the table and shifted a few more papers to reveal three red and white Pokeballs. There had been quite a few attempts in the past to upgrade standard Pokeballs, but many trainers had rejected the idea. Of course there were newer, more modern models available, but trainers were forbidden to use them until they had acquired six gym badges. It was part of learning to be proper a trainer and also a way to keep the traditions of the past alive._

_I felt my hands shaking as I stepped forward to look at the Pokeballs on the table. One had a leaf sticker on the top, one a flame, and the last a water droplet. I smiled and reached out my hand. There was no question in my mind as to which one I would choose…_

A loud crack sounded from somewhere to my left. I jumped and sat bolt upright, staring around at the dark trees and bushes surrounding my campsite. At first I saw nothing then I spotted a gleaming pair of eyes staring at me from the nearest clump of bushes.


	2. Chapter 1: My Quest

Chapter 1: My Quest

"Rebel!" My startled voice echoed around the clearing.

One of the blue Pokeballs near my head snapped open and silver light danced around the clearing. The light faded quickly to reveal a huge bipedal Pokemon with fearsome claws and powerful jaws. It was almost entirely blue except for the tan patches on it stomach and chin and the red spikes on its head, back, and tail.

The Feraligatr let out a roar and looked around the clearing for signs of danger. I scrambled to my feet and stood beside him, peering around his large back in the direction of the bushes where I'd seen the eyes. Rebel followed my gaze and stomped over to the clump of bushes, sniffing suspiciously.

"See anything?" I asked nervously. I'm not a coward by any means, but that doesn't mean I'm not easily startled. Anyone who woke up with eyes staring at them in the middle of a forest would be jumpy.

'Nothin',' said Rebel, now digging through the bushes. 'Just smells like dirt and leaves. Sure you saw something?'

"Of course I did!" I said irritably, marching over and pushing the bushes aside myself. "There were big red eyes right here. Huge!"

'You weren't dreaming?' Rebel sounded amused.

"No, I wasn't," I said, enunciating each word in an annoyed tone. "I was dreaming about…well, about the day we met. Remember that?"

Rebel grinned. It's not always easy to tell when a Feraligatr is smiling because its large jaws and teeth usually give the impression of a snarl or leer. I can tell, though. After eight years of traveling and training together, there's not much Rebel and I can't tell about each other.

'Course I do,' his eyes turned skyward for a moment and I knew he was thinking back to that day in New Bark Town when I had chosen him as my very first Pokemon. 'You weren't so jumpy back then.'

I scowled at him. It was true that at ten years old I had been far less jumpy than I am now. It's really not that surprising given everything I've seen and done over the last eight years. Don't get me wrong, most of my experiences as a trainer have been good. I've traveled from region to region, competing against gym leaders, ordinary trainers, and league champions. I've won and lost my fair share of battles and joined forces with some amazing people and Pokemon, though perhaps not the people and Pokemon my parents always envisioned me with.

See, I was born into a family of electric-type Pokemon trainers. Both my mother and father love everything about electric Pokemon. Our family symbol is a lightning bolt and our family Pokemon has always been an Ampharos. Our family name is even Raikus, derived, at least according to my father, from the name of the legendary lightning tiger, Raikou, who is our protector. So he says. When I was little, my father would tell me how my distant ancestors rescued a young Raikou from a rockslide and how that very same Raikou and its decedents have been watching over the Raikus family ever since. I guess it's an okay story, but I'm pretty sure it's just a myth.

Nevertheless we are, or were, solely an electric type family. My mother was a gym leader who specialized in electric types before she married my dad and had me and my siblings. My sister has since become a gym leader herself, taking over the very same gym that my mother used to run. She battles with, that's right, electric types. She's very good, but not as good as my parents always thought I would be.

It wasn't that I showed a remarkable prowess with Pokemon when I was young or that I had some special connection with the Mareep and Ampharos that lived at our house. It was simply that I am the poster child for an electric type trainer. My eyes are a dark, stormy blue-gray with streaks of gold running zigzag through them, my skin is lightly tanned, and my hair is bright blonde. My mother says that when she first saw my eyes they reminded her of storm clouds streaked with lightning. That, coupled with everything else, inspired her to name me Elysia, which means lightning-struck. As I got older, my mother and father insisted that I would one day become a world renowned electric-type trainer. My dad thought I would dazzle people from the front of magazine covers. Who would be able to resist a girl with lightning in her eyes and in her name who also trained super powerful lightning Pokemon?

It turns out I would. Here's the thing: I don't like electric type Pokemon. Not even a little. It's not that one of our beloved pets shocked me when I was little or anything tragic like that. They've just never appealed to me. Sure, I played with the Mareep and Ampharos I lived with, and they're probably the only lightning Pokemon I will ever consider friends, but other than that, nothing. I could never tell my parents that when I was little, of course. Any time I would mention training a different type of Pokemon my parents would just say, "but it's not as good as an electric type!"

When I came home from Professor Elm's lab with a Totodile, my parents were shocked. They'd offered to give me a baby Pokemon from their collection so I wouldn't have to choose a non-electric type, but I'd insisted I wanted to start out the traditional way. They didn't argue as they, like many trainers-turned-parent, believe in the value of tradition. Still, they never thought I would choose a water type. To my family, water types are the biggest jokes of all Pokemon, except maybe flying types.

"I'm sure you had your reasons," my mother had said, trying to hide her true feelings.

"Yes, and you know, it'll be good for you to train a water type for a while. It'll give you perspective and make you a better trainer. Actually, I think that was very wise." My father always liked to make the best of bad situations.

Unfortunately for them, I didn't choose Totodile because I wanted to "gain a different perspective." I choose him before I absolutely adore water Pokemon. Maybe it did have something to do with wanting to go a different way than my parents. A streak of adolescent rebellion, perhaps, hence why Rebel received the name he did. But as I got older, my love for water Pokemon grew stronger and stronger.

As if that wasn't bad enough, I started introducing myself to people I met not as Elysia, but as Ren, which means water lily. I even tried dying my hair blue and wearing matching lipstick and eyeliner at one point, but that was a disaster. Instead of the glamorous water trainer look I'd been going for, I looked like a cheap…well, I decided to stick with my natural looks after that.

My parents were so ashamed of my "lifestyle choice" that they refused to come cheer me on the first time I entered the Silver Conference. My older sisters and brother did, though. They have been far more understanding than my parents who didn't even congratulate me when I ranked in the top twenty.

Two years into my journey, I was starting to make a name for myself as a water Pokemon trainer. I won the Whirl Cup when I was twelve and the Cherrygrove Gazette put me on the front page. I think the headline was "Cherrygrove's Water Lily Destined for Water Pokemon Fame." I'm sure they thought it was a very clever title, but it was the last straw for my parents. In a desperate attempt to "convert me" they sent me a celebratory package containing their congratulations, some supplies, two Pokeballs, and a Thunderstone. One Pokeball contained my favorite childhood Mareep and the other an Eevee. They hoped that the Mareep would remind me how wonderful electric types were and that the Eevee and Thunderstone would ease me into the idea of training one.

Here's why: evolutionary stones are incredibly rare these days. Fifty years ago they weren't exactly a dime a dozen, but it wasn't too hard to get one if you needed it. Unfortunately, a company called Evolution Express began a large scale mining project for stones. They wanted to possess the majority of Johto and Kanto's stones so that they could make big profits, and they did for a while. Despite the prices, the stones flew off the shelves. Things went well until EE decided to expand. They loaded two cargo ships with about 75% of their stock (demand was down in Johto and Kanto because stones are a one-time use kind of commodity) and sent them across the ocean to open new businesses in Hoenn and Sinnoh. The first ship sunk in a hurricane before getting halfway to Hoenn and the second vanished without a trace. Since then Johto, Kanto, and many of smaller surrounding regions have been hurting for stones.

All of that means that if a person is lucky enough to get their hands on an evolutionary stone that can evolve one of their Pokemon, the smart thing to do is use it. Whatever the Pokemon, it will be one that few others have and thus give its owner an advantage.

Long story short, my parents hoped I'd overlook Jolteon's type for the chance to have a unique Pokemon. I did not. Instead I sent Marcy the Mareep to live at Elm's lab where she still enjoys a very pleasant life. The stone I put into a safety deposit box in case I ever need to sell it. The Eevee I trained. Vaporeon was one of my dream Pokemon and I spent a long, long time searching for a water stone. I finally found one in the Orange Islands when I was fifteen and Laila has been one of my top water Pokemon ever since.

This was the straw that broke the Raichu's back for my parents. I haven't spoken to them in three years. I guess it's not that surprising since I spent the last five avoiding Johto. I have spent the last year of my life in Orre, exploring ruins and researching legends with some of my closest friends. Last month I left them behind and returned to Johto in order to embark on a quest I've been planning since I was a child. I want to be the ultimate water Pokemon trainer, and in order to do that I need to find one of the ultimate water Pokemon.

Legend says this Pokemon runs with the north wind and can purify the most polluted waters. One of the most popular stories in Johto says that this Pokemon was born of the rains that quenched the fires at the Brass Tower. It is one of the most mysterious, elegant, and powerful Pokemon in the world and I have loved it since my father first told me the story of the Brass Tower when I was a small child. He was most impressed with Raikou, the lightning that started the fire, but I couldn't stop thinking about Suicune.

Now I am on my way to Ecruteak City, the original home of the Brass Tower, to find out as much as I can about Suicune and start the next stage of my journey in becoming the top water Pokemon trainer. I don't care how long it takes, I'm going to find and capture Suicune.


	3. Chapter 2: A Battle in the Forest

Chapter 2: A Battle in the Forest

'We're lost.' Laila's gentle voice was muffled by the thicket of trees surrounding us.

"We are not!" I snapped back with a huff.

'We definitely are.'

"I made this journey with my family about a hundred times when I was a kid. We are not lost."

'Really?'

"…no, we're totally lost."

Laila sighed and swished her long fin-like tail in a resigned sort of way. We had been walking for the better part of five hours and I had been expecting the edge of the forest to pop up for about two hours now. I had a map on my Trainer Band, but it had been malfunctioning since I left Orre. I was pretty sure something was wrong with the GPS tracker, but I hadn't yet bothered to get it fixed. I was from this region, after all.

I was somewhat regretting that decision now. According to my calculations, Laila and I should have reached Ecruteak City by midday, but it was now late afternoon and the trees hadn't thinned at all. I had the sneaking suspicion that we had taken a wrong turn and were now headed in completely the wrong direction. I had actually had that feeling for a while, but often I'm too stubborn even to listen to myself.

As I was pondering my flaws, I became aware of raised voices somewhere up ahead.

'Good,' said Laila, perking up her ears, 'we can ask them for directions.'

"I don't need directions," I muttered, not meeting her eyes.

'Of course you don't,' said Laila, flipping her tail in an amused sort of way.

As we drew closer to the source of the voices, one of them started shouting. Laila and I glanced at each other and sped up. It sounded like something was wrong.

We rounded a thick group of trees and saw two men standing a few feet apart yelling at each other. One was slightly older than the other, tall with long black hair and a long jacket that seemed out of place in the warm weather. He was standing in a slightly defensive position, his hands balled into fists and his expression, what little of it I could see under his hair, stern.

The man standing across from him was glaring at his opponent, his brown eyes blazing angrily. He was almost as tall but with green hair streaked black and wearing a t-shirt and shorts. It seemed that he had been the one yelling.

"I still don't see what your problem is," said the dark haired one, moving his head so that some of his hair was swept out of his eyes. "All I said was hi."

"No," said the green haired boy, taking a step forward, "you insulted my Pokemon. Now either take it back or get ready for a battle!"

"Battle you?" said the dark haired man, raising one hand in dismissal, "Nah, I don't have the heart to hurt your Pokemon like that."

"Choose your Pokemon!" shouted the green haired boy.

"If you insist," said his rival. "Don't cry when you lose." He reached into his jacket pocket and produced what looked like a short dumbbell with two round, black ends.

"Ah," I said quietly, peering at the Dualball from around the tree where I had hidden myself to watch. "He must be very confident in his team to use one of those." A Dualball was essentially two Pokeballs stuck together. Each end held one Pokemon and it was only used by trainers who were very confident in a two Pokemon team. Why? Because the Dualball could not release only Pokemon at a time; it had to release both. It also could not recall only one Pokemon at a time, but had to recall both. This meant that if a trainer had to recall one of their Pokemon in a double battle, they automatically lost. It was a way of making battling more interesting.

"Scizor, Absol, get going!" He tossed the dumbbell into the air. It spun for a moment, then both ends opened, spilling red light into the space between the two boys. Two Pokemon materialized side by side, one tall and red with wings and large claws, the other a shorter, white quadruped with a blade-like protrusion on its head. I hadn't seen an Absol since leaving the Hoenn region so I was very interested to see it battle.

"No match," said the green haired boy, producing two separate Pokeballs and holding them out, one in each hand. One was silver and green while the other was white with red stripes.

"Stronghold Ball," I said to myself, eying the green and silver Pokeball. It was used to capture Pokemon that were quick to run away. "And a Timer Ball," I added, looking at the white ball with red stripes. It was used to capture Pokemon that took a long time to battle.

"Met, Nair, defend your honor!" said the boy, opening both balls. Red light spilled from the Timer Ball, green light from the other. The red light twisted into a large, silver blue rock-like Pokemon with a metallic X across its face. The green slight spiraled into the form of an elegant snake-like Pokemon with jewels on its tail and throat.

'This will be interesting,' said Laila softly, staring intently at the Dragonair. She had an eye for elegance and Dragonair was at the top of her list.

"I agree," I said, also staring the Dragonair. Though it wasn't a water type, it was still a water dwelling Pokemon, and that made it appealing to me. The Metagross was also interesting. I had battled one in the Hoenn League a few years previously and it had been a formidable opponent.

"Scizor, Iron Head! Absol, Dark Pulse! Hit Metagross!" Immediately the two Pokemon launched themselves forward. Both were fast which would give them the advantage over Metagross. Scizor's body began to glow silver and it angled itself for a head-on attack. Absol's blade glowed with dark energy. It swung its head around, sending a flash of energy straight at Metagross.

"Nair, Twister! Met, Iron Defense!" Metagross glowed silver and braced itself while Dragonair's jewels flashed and a strong spiraling wind sprang into existence.

I ducked behind the tree as the wind whipped up dust and leaves. There were several loud bands, Pokemon's cries, and more shouts from the two trainers. I squinted and turned back, trying to see through the haze of debris still being churned up by the Dragonair's attack. It looked like the Metagross and Scizor were exchanging blows. Scizor darted in and struck then darted away to avoid Metagross's retaliation. There was a shout from one of the trainer's and Metagross's eyes began to glow purple, shining through the thick cloud of dust. The glow enveloped the Scizor and it was flung backwards several feet.

I couldn't see Dragonair or Absol at all. "Analyze," I whispered. At once a holographic screen sprang to life in front of my right eye, emanating from my Trainer Band. The names of all four Pokemon were displayed and underneath each was a bar indicating health. It was a pretty accurate system, but it was based on estimates and percentages rather than the Pokemon's actual health. Metagross had lost three-fourths of its health by this point, but Scizor had taken ever more damage. Dragonair and Absol were both at half health. They were a good match for each other.

'Why does the green haired one not focus on one of his opponents?' asked Laila, her blue eyes darting back and forth, able to see through the dust much better than I. 'He need only defeat one to win. That is the obvious advantage in this battle.'

I shook my head. "Many trainers feel it's the dishonorable way to win, which actually gives the advantage to the trainer using the Dualball. In normal circumstances, concentrating attacks would be the best strategy, as you saw when the dark haired one targeted Metagross."

My attention was distracted by the red blur that shot into the air, rising above the dust cloud. Scizor had decided to go for distance attack to prevent itself from taking any more close-range hits from Metagross. It beat its wings in rapid succession, create a gust of wind that cut through the dust cloud and hit Metagross hard. The steel type's health bar dropped by a small margin.

"Psychic!" called out the trainer.

Metagross's body glowed brightly. It raised one enormous foot and turned towards Scizor.

"Foul Play!" There was a rush of wind, then Absol appeared out of nowhere, leaping through the air behind Metagross. Caught off guard, Metagross couldn't turn in time. Absol landed squarely on its back, blade alight with dark energy, and caught its opponent with a direct hit. Metagross roared and stumbled as Absol leapt away.

Dragonair swooped in at that moment and slammed into Absol with a perfectly timed Dragon Rush. There was a cry from above and Scizor dove back into the fray, coming to its ally's aid with a Metal Claw attack. My Trainer Band read very low health for all of the battlers. Metagross had collapsed and didn't seem to be getting back up. Absol was still on its feet, but just barely. It didn't look capable of another attack.

Dragonair and Scizor faced each other from across their fallen comrades, both panting heavily. The dust was settling now and I could see their trainers, hands clinched into fists, eyes blazing, glaring across the make-shift arena at each other.

"Night Slash!" shouted the dark haired trainer.

"Dragon Rage!" cried the other.

Two beams, one black, the other green, shot across the clearing. An explosion rocked the trees as they collided. I crouched down, putting both arms around Laila to shield her from the debris that flew out in every direction. For a moment everything was a blur, then an eerie calm descended. Laila and I looked up.

'Oh,' said Laila, half sadly, half impressed.

Dragonair was lying on the ground, the jewels at its throat and tail flashing feebly. Metagross lay not far away, its eyes closed. Absol and Scizor stood together. Scizor's body still glowed faintly from its Iron Defense attack, and both Pokemon were surrounded by the last faint traces of Absol's Magic Coat. The dark type must have jumped to its partner's defense just as the other launched its attack. It was now apparent why the dark haired trainer was confident enough to use a Dualball.

Dragonair stirred, raising its head slightly, then collapsed and closed its eyes, giving in.

"That's victory to me!" shouted the dark haired trainer, grinning an almost lazy way. His Scizor and Absol let out cries of celebration and began to walk slowly over to their trainer.

"I don't understand," said the green haired boy, recalling his fallen Pokemon. "I should have had the advantage. My Pokemon have much higher attack stats, especially Metagross."

"It's that thinking that lost you the match," said the dark haired boy, reaching out to pat his Absol. "And it'll cost you. As a reward for my win…" he paused, considering.

I scowled and Laila let out a soft bark of agitation. Trainers sometimes battled for money, but they usually discussed the terms before the battle began. It was, however, technically true that the losing trainer was obligated to provide some kind of reward, though that rule really intended for the losing trainer to show sportsmanship and congratulate his or her opponent. There were those rare trainers, though, that would demand more. Exactly how much the loser was obligated to pay was unclear, but it usually wasn't much. Still, it was considered very low for a winner to demand money from a loser without discussing the terms pre-battle. It was more or less cheating, at least in my books.

"Twenty-two pen," snapped the green haired trainer, clearly angered by the demand. "That's the most I'll give you."

"Hmm," said his opponent, a rather malicious smile playing across his face. "No, I don't think so. I have more pen then I know what to do with."

"I haven't got anything else to offer," said the green haired boy, frowning now.

"Oh, sure you have," said the dark haired boy, "yeah, I think I'll take your…Dragonair."


	4. Ch 3: This Calls for an Intervention

Chapter 3: This Calls for an Intervention

There was silence. I stared open mouthed at the man, unable to believe my ears. Demanding a Pokemon in payment? It was almost unheard of and certainly not legal! There was no way the National Pokemon League would have allowed such a rule to be written. The winner simply could not demand a Pokemon in payment.

"You're stupid in the head if you think I'll hand over my Pokemon," said the green haired boy, raising his fist. "That's not in the rules and it's not gonna happen."

"You misunderstand," said the dark haired boy, a truly unpleasant smile now spreading across his face. "I'm not asking. Scizor," he glanced at the pincer Pokemon. Scizor chuckled and moved forward, raising one claw threateningly. "It's in your best interest to hand over the Dragonair without complaint. If you don't, well," he nodded to Scizor who slashed through the air, sending a wave of energy at the boy.

"Oh, I don't think so," I growled, leaping out from behind the tree. "Laila, take it down with Aqua Tail!"

'Pleasure,' snarled Laila. She surged forward, her powerful muscles driving her low body forward at an impressive speed. She sent a blast of water ahead of her, then leapt up and spun, water and tail slamming into the Scizor at the same time. Already greatly weakened from its battle, Scizor could not withstand Laila's powerful attack.

"What the hell?!" yelled its trainer, spinning around to glare at me.

"I might ask you the same question," I snapped, unclipping a blue ball from my belt. "What kind of person tries to steal another trainer's Pokemon? And yeah, that's what it is, stealing! You have no right to ask for a Pokemon as a battle reward!"

"Mind your own damn business," snapped the boy. "Absol…"

"Rebel!" I shouted, tossing the blue ball into the air. The Feraligatr appeared with a roar and crouched low, his eyes flashing towards the Absol. The dark haired man hesitated. "Yeah," I said, scowling at him, "make real sure you want to play this game before you take on Rebel. Do you really think your tired out Absol stands a chance?"

It was clear that he was beaten. "You've made a big mistake today," he growled, raising the Dualball to recall his Pokemon. "I will track you down, you can be sure of that. Then we'll see how tough you really are." He turned his head towards the green haired boy who was still watching from a distance, rage emanating from him. "And you, loser, you can keep your pathetic little Pokemon today. But don't think I'm finished with you either!" He then turned and ran off into the trees.

"Well," I said angrily, staring the direction the man had disappeared, "he sure can talk."

'Be careful,' said Rebel, not taking his eyes off the trees, 'he smells dangerous to me. And that Hoenn dog has sharper claws than either of us want to admit.'

'He's right,' said Laila quietly, padding over to join us. 'And the Scizor is incredibly quick and agile. It's no wonder a bulky fighter like Metagross had trouble landing a hit. Those two moved as if they had been a team for years.'

"Not unlike you two," I said thoughtfully, nodding at them. "Granted, I think Rebel would fit more into the category of bulky fighter than quick and agile."

Rebel snorted and swished his long tail in a threatening sort of way. 'Is that a fat joke?'

"Certainly not! Although," I eyed his wide girth, "maybe a diet wouldn't be such a bad idea."

We all laughed for a few moments before becoming aware of the green haired boy approaching us. I turned around to smile at him, expecting a thank you for preventing the theft of his Pokemon, but he didn't look at all happy.

"I didn't need your help!" he snapped, coming to stand very close to me. "I'm not defenseless. He wouldn't have gotten my Pokemon and he'd have backed off and not bothered me again. Now he's going to think I'm some wimp who has to get help from random girls!"

I raised an eyebrow and folded my arms. "My apologies, oh high and mighty warrior. Please tell me how you planned to fight off his super Scizor without your Pokemon?"

The boy continued to glare. He opened his mouth once or twice, then said, "I could have handled it."

"Well, I promise to never interfere in your affairs again," I said loftily, taking a few steps back from him and placing one hand on my hip. "It's clear that I've done you a great disservice by fighting off a thief."

He made a dismissive gesture with one hand. "He's not really a thief," he said, annoyed. "He's just some idiot I went to school with in Hoenn. He likes to think he's bigger and badder than everyone else and make a bunch of empty threats. He wouldn't really have taken Dragonair."

I glanced down at Laila then back at the boy. "It didn't seem like an empty threat to me."

The boy shrugged. "Well, it wouldn't. You don't know him like I do." He paused for a moment as though considering whether or not to elaborate, then continued, "his name is Rain Uzumaki. He was a few years ahead of me at the Pokemon Academy in Slateport City."

I nodded, slightly impressed. Slateport Academy was a prestigious preparatory school. Students enrolled at the age of ten, if they could afford it or were very lucky and got a scholarship. Supposedly it negated the need to be a beginning trainer and also allowed graduates the ability to compete in most major Hoenn tournaments without having to win gym badges or pass any other tests. It was a four year program, though, and not everyone was convinced it was worth missing out on four years of adventures. Those that did earn degrees, however, had a good reputation and often went on to be very successful trainers. I could see now why Rain was so skilled in double-battles. If he had specialized in that type of battling at Slateport Academy, he would know basically everything there was to know, at least as far as the theory.

"Okay," I said, indicating that the boy should continue, "I get it. So you two had some kind of rivalry at school and now you want to show each other up. Fine. That still doesn't explain him trying to take one of your Pokemon."

The boy waved his hand through the air. "Like I said, an empty threat. He wanted to be a tough guy, isn't that obvious? Only arrogant assholes like him would use a Dualball and battle only with rare Pokemon." I was about to tell him that Dragonair and Metagross weren't exactly the type of Pokemon one saw roaming the streets, but he was already continuing. "Anyway, the point is he's not really dangerous. He would have flexed his muscles and made his Pokemon show off, then he would have taken some money and left. It's his style."

I decided against arguing and merely said, "All right, fine. Like I said, I won't interfere again." I raised my blue Pokeball and nodded at Rebel who disappeared inside it. "Anywhos," I added, turning my back on the boy and raising a hand in farewell, "I have to be going. I'm on my way to Ecruteak."

"Tch," said the boy, "I figured you were a tourist."

"Tourist?" I said, surprised. "Didn't you just say you were from Hoenn?"

"Doesn't mean I'm a tourist! I've spent plenty of time in Ecruteak and all of Johto. I've been exploring here for nearly two years."

I rolled my eyes but didn't bother to tell him that I'd been born in this region. Why did he have to be so contradictory? I could tell that he was still mad about losing to that Rain guy, but that was no excuse to snap at me. Wounded pride only earned a person so much sympathy before I wanted to slap them. I swear I'm not a violent person or anything, I'm just not a very patient one. At least when it comes to people…or at least some people.

"Right, sure. See you around." I walked away, Laila padding silently along beside me. We had almost reached the trees when the boy called after us.

"Hang on, I'll come with you!"

I turned around to stare at him. "Wha…but…why?" I hadn't intended to sound quite so rude.

"Well, look at you," he said, slowing down to stroll beside me. "You don't look real tough, and you keep that Vaporeon in plain view. You're basically a walking target."

I felt my temper rising and puffed up to say something snarky in return, but I was cut off by a high pitched scream from up ahead. "This must be the bad part of the forest," I muttered, speeding up to see what was going on. Laila and the boy, I would have to ask his name at some point, ran after me.


	5. Ch 4: How Much More Trouble Today?

Chapter 4: How Much More Trouble can I Run Into Today?

We arrived at a large tree behind which a younger girl was crouched, both hands gripping the bark. She had rather long blue hair and matching eyes and was wearing a short pink and black dress with matching scarf and boots. She looked like someone straight out of a video game. I couldn't dwell on that for long because the look on the girl's face told me that she terrified of something I couldn't see.

"What is it?" I said quickly, assuming my trainer stance (yes, I have a trainer stance, it's quite impressive) and nodding to Laila to prepare for battle. Behind us, the boy with green hair was scanning the surrounding bushes for the danger.

"There," squealed the girl, pointing a shaking hand at something on the ground.

All four us looked down to see a book lying open on the grass beneath the tree. Standing on the book was one of the smallest Spinarak I had ever seen. It was either a baby or a new record for tiniest bug type.

"It dropped on me while I was reading!"

I looked at Laila then at the boy. All three of us shook our heads, though the boy did reach out to pat the girl on the arm. "Don't worry, we'll take care of it," he said in the nicest tone I had yet heard him use.

"Err, yeah. Laila use…I don't know, Tail Whip? I don't want to hurt the little guy."

Laila walked over to the book and looked down at the tiny Spinarak. 'No, I couldn't. Just look at it! I'll just…' She bent down and let out one sharp bark. The Spinarak leapt into the air in surprise and scuttled away into the tall grass. 'Poor thing,' said Laila, staring after it.

"Fwew," said the girl, standing up straight and smiling at us. "Thanks. I'm really not a scaredy Skitty usually, but I just can't stand Spinarak. They're so creepy! And you know they're poisonous. You never hear about it on the news, but at least one hundred people a year end up in the hospital because of a Spinarak bite! I read about it in a book about disease statistics. Surprisingly, not as many people get bitten by Ariados. Probably because they're much bigger and people are more cautious, though it could be because, as a more evolved species, they are less prone to accidentally biting their trainers. That's what happens, see, new trainers catch a young Spinarak and try to cuddle it or something, and then-"

"Yeah, uh huh," I said, cutting her off. "I get it, you read a lot."

"Oh, well, of course!" she said brightly. "I was one of the top students at Cianwood's Gym Leader Preparation University. It's not really a university, but it's a good name, I think."

"Oh, you're a CPU!" said the green haired boy, smiling and holding out his hand. "I'm a graduate of Slateport Academy. My name's Signalis Forte."

"Nice to meet you," said the girl, shaking his hand. "I'm Sheena Johnson. Slateport is a really cool school. I thought about doing an exchange program there, but I really want to be a gym leader one day and Cianwood is the best place for that. Right now I'm actually doing my field experience. We finish school work at fourteen and then we're supposed to travel and compete with real life trainers for a few years before we can take our gym leader exams."

"Yeah, I knew that," I said, smiling slightly at the thought. "My sister went through that process so that she could take over the gym in Alder City."

"Oh! Your sister is Sparky Raikus?!"

I forced myself not to laugh, but I couldn't help smiling at my sister's choice of nicknames. Her real name is Allison, but she felt that Sparky was more appropriate for the leader of an electric gym. "Yes," I said, "and I'm Ren Raikus."

"I could have guessed that," said Sheena happily. "There isn't another Raikus in Johto who trains water type Pokemon."

"What, is there something special about the Raikus people?" asked Signalis, looking from Sheena to me.

Sheena beat me to the answer. "They're not super famous, but they're pretty well known around Johto, especially around Ecruteak, Alder, and Cherrygrove. Mrs. Raikus was once the gym leader at Alder and now Sparky has taken over. Traditionally they only train electric type Pokemon and many Raikus have earned a reputation for their skill, other than the gym leaders, of course. But Ren is the first Raikus in ages to break the type tradition."

Did I have a biography I wasn't aware of? My family is fairly well known around Johto, and like I said, I've started to make a name for myself, but I didn't know anyone followed me, or any member of my family for that matter. Usually the only people who really knew about me where people from my home town, though my family name did play into one of the Ecruteak legends about Raikou. Perhaps my name had gotten out while I was travelling.

"Uh huh," said Signalis, eying me with curiosity. "So are you planning to become a gym leader, too?"

I was about to reply, but I hesitated. These people were still strangers to me, and my quest was known only to a handful of people and Pokemon. Before leaving Orre, I'd told my friends about my plan to look for Suicune. Krissy had thought I was crazy for even trying.

"_There are only a hand full of people in the whole world who have ever actually seen Suicune_ _! And don't think you're the first who's gone looking for it. I get that it's one of your favorite Pokemon, but it's legendary. Legendary, you know, because many top scientists aren't convinced it even exists, and I'm not sure I am, to be honest."_

"_Well I'll definitely never see it unless I try."_

"_She's right," said Jason, lounging back on his bed. We were staying at a small motel in one of Orre's nicer cities. "I think it's a great idea. Personally I think all of the legendary Pokemon exist, even Mew. I think it would be awesome to find one."_

"_But Ren doesn't just want to find Suicune, does she?" They both looked at me._

"_Well…no. If I get the chance I'm going to capture it. If I could train Suicune, the ultimate water Pokemon, then I would be the top water Pokemon trainer."_

_Krissy shook her head. "Ultimate water trainer…I've never really understood that about you, Ren. But what makes you think wasting your time trying to track down a legendary Pokemon will make you better than continuing to go out and make a name for yourself the old fashioned way?"_

"_It's her choice," said Jason before I could reply. "If that's what she really wants to do then we should be supportive." He considered for a moment, his smile fading slightly, "but you should know, if you go back to Johto now…"_

"_Yeah…we can't come with you. We swore we'd compete in Orre's Pokemon Championship and it's not for another six months."_

_I nodded. "I know, and I'm going to miss you guys so much, but I actually thought it might be better for me to do this on my own. It is my quest, after all. It doesn't mean the same thing to you, and that might make what I want to do harder." I felt tears stinging my eyes and had to look away from them. _

"Ren?" Sheena's voice cut through my reminiscing. I looked at her. "You all right?" she asked, "you spaced out there for a minute."

"I'm fine," I said, smiling, "I was just thinking about…things." I looked back at Signalis. "To answer your question, no, I don't think I want to be a gym leader. I don't know what I'll do when I retire from travelling, if I ever do."

"Well what are you doing now, then?" asked Sheena. "I read about you in Trainer's Weekly. That's how I know about you and your family, but the article said you'd left Johto, what, five years ago? What made you suddenly decide to come back?"

I shrugged, avoiding her eyes. No, I wouldn't tell her. This was my journey after all, and I didn't want anyone spreading rumors about it, especially not until my parents found out. If I ever told them. Krissy and Jason could be trusted to keep my plans to themselves. We had travelled together for nearly five years, after all.

"Didn't you say you were going to do touristy things in Ecruteak?" Signalis asked.

I looked at him and was surprised to see that he was joking. I hadn't taken him for the type of person who made jokes. "Yes," I answered back, "and as a matter of fact I'd like to get going. It's late enough as it is and I want to get there before the sun goes down."

"Oh, can I come?" asked Sheena, bending down to pick up her book and bag. "I know the way."

I sighed. For a someone on a personal and private quest, I sure had trouble travelling alone. "Yeah, sure," I said, starting to walk away. "But just to Ecruteak, all right?"

"Okay!" she said brightly, skipping after me.

Laila chuckled and I looked down at her. I could tell she was thinking the same thing I was. It seemed I was destined to have companions on my search for Suicune.


	6. Chapter 5: Ecruteak at Last!

Chapter 5: Ecruteak at Last!

"This way!" chirped Sheena happily, motioning for Signalis and me to hurry up. "I've studied the map of this part of the region extensively. Most trainers rely too much on their Trainer Bands to give them directions. If they ever broke, they wouldn't have a clue where they were."

Laila let out a snort and I glared at her. I had a clue where I was. I was somewhere in a forest that was somewhere near Ecruteak. Obviously. Laila just rolled her eyes and bounded off after Sheena.

We walked on for another half an hour before anyone spoke again. "I think the woods are thinning," said Signalis, looking upwards at the foliage.

I looked up and saw that he was right. The last time I had looked up, the sky was barely visible. Now the soft blue of twilight was clearly visible.

"We're nearly there," said Sheena, pointing through the trees where a faint gleam of light was glowing. "Those are the lights of Ecruteak. I'd say we'll be able to see the actual city any minute now."

"Good," I said, stretching my arms over my head. "I'm going straight to the nearest restaurant. I could eat five or six hamburgers."

"Me too," said Sheena, smiling.

"I'd rather get to the Pokemon Center," said Signalis in an irritated tone. "My Pokemon are still worn out. They could use some attention. We should go there first."

"Oh, I didn't know your Pokemon were hurt! Yeah, we should definitely go to the Pokemon Center first."

I looked from Signalis to Sheena in a slightly bewildered way. "We?" They both looked at me with slightly offended expressions. "I mean," I added quickly, "Not that you two aren't great, but I was planning to, you know, touristy stuff…" I trailed off somewhat pathetically.

"So you don't want us to come with you?" asked Sheena. "Not that we're best friends or anything, but it's fun to have some company."

"She's right," said Signalis, "what's the fun in being a loner?"

I sighed and looked at Laila for help, but she only shrugged. "I don't want to be a loner, but I had plans." They continued to stare at me, clearly unconvinced. "Okay, I want to…to…retrace some childhood landmarks. It's kind of personal, that's all."

Sheena smiled and Signalis rolled his eyes. "Oh, I get it. Yeah, I can see how Ecruteak might be important to you, what with the whole Raikou being your family's protector and all."

"Yeah, that's right," I said, taken aback. How much did this girl read?

"Family protector?" scoffed Signalis. "That's a bit…old fashioned, don't you think?"

"Hey, that's my family history you're talking about," I said, surprised at the genuine offense I had taken to his words, especially given that I usually scoffed at the Raikou legend myself. Then again, I was allowed to scoff at my family because it was, well, my family. This boy had no right to say anything.

"Well, whatever, go off and be personal," he looked around at the buildings we had reached, "I'm going to the Center. If you want to meet up after your pilgrimage I'll be staying there tonight."

"I can show you the way," said Sheena, "and I'll be staying there too. I hope we see you there, Ren. If not, it was very nice meeting you." She held out her hand and I smiled as I took it.

"Yeah, you too. I'm sure I'll see you around." I looked up at Signalis and added, "and, uh, you too."

Signalis just raised his hand in farewell and set off down a side street. Sheena smiled at me and waved before hurrying after him.

'You know,' said Laila as she and I walked in the other direction towards, what I hoped, was either the Tin Tower or the Ecruteak Museum, 'some company on this journey wouldn't be too bad. I know you said this was supposed to be a private journey and so on and so forth, but I know you would have been happy to have Krissy and Jason with you.'

"I wouldn't have said no if they had wanted to come," I admitted, "but they understood. Signalis and Sheena…you can't tell me they would think searching for something that might not exist a good idea. I doubt they'd even want to come."

'I bet that Sheena would,' said Laila, her tone tinted with approval. She appreciated intellect and curiosity in others and she was the nerdiest Pokemon I had ever known. In the past she had corrected my grammar, lectured me on the statistical advantages of special attacks over physical attacks when battling certain species, and even quoted a paper by Professor Oak on fire Pokemon typology. I wasn't even aware she knew who Professor Oak was and how she could have possibly learned about his work was beyond me. I was sufficiently well read, at least in my opinion, and I had plenty of scientific curiosity, but I prefered the old "do it yourself" way of learning things.

"I don't know," I said, considering what little I knew about the younger girl. "She seems like she wants to learn about histories and, well, everything, but that doesn't mean she's going to want to spend her field experience on this kind of endeavor. And Signalis…well, even if he wanted to come, I'm not sure I could handle long-term exposure to his grouchiness."

'I think he's a lot nicer than he lets on. You know how some people are, they hide what they're really feeling. But the important thing here is how you're talking. If I didn't know any better, I'd think you had no confidence in your own quest.'

"Of course I do!" I said, offended, "I know I'll succeed. It's convincing the rest of the world that's the problem."

Laila rolled her eyes. 'I wonder if what the rest of the world thinks is really as important as you think it is.'

I ignored this. "Look, that's the Tin Tower." The large old fashioned building stood at the edge of town, its unique structure a constant reminder of the town's past. I looked up at it, thinking about the trips I had taken to the monument when I was a child. Visiting the Tower had been a yearly pilgrimage for my family. I was pretty sure my parents still visited with whichever of my siblings were around. I had visited the place the last time I was in Ecruteak, but that was years ago.

'It's very late,' said Laila, considering the sky, 'they may be closed for the day.'

"It's not night yet," I replied, almost defiantly. It was almost a moot point as the sky was tinged red and orange and the sun was barely visible on the horizon. "But maybe we should hurry. We can skip the food."

'Yes, food is such a silly thing to waste time on,' sniffed the Vaporeon, flicking her tail.

I ignored her and continued on at a faster pace. It didn't take long to reach the edge of town, but even so, the sun had completely set by the time we walked up to the front gates of the Tin Tower. The dark outline of the tower seemed to extend upwards forever against the evening sky. I breathed in, taking in the sharp scent of old wood and modern preservatives.

I had just placed my hand on the gate when a girl appeared at the front door of the tower. She turned and poked her head back inside. I heard a muffled whistle and a small, long-bodied Pokemon appeared. It stood its hind legs for a moment and sniffed at the air, then scampered outside to poke around in some nearby bushes while the girl closed the doors. I started forward, but before I'd taken more than a few steps I heard the distinctive click of a lock. I hesitated, unsure whether to try to gain access or wait until tomorrow.

The girl turned, tucking a key inside her shirt pocket. When she saw me she smiled, or at least I think she did as it was difficult to make out her features in the dim light. "Sorry, we're closed for the day," she said. Her accent suggested that she was also a Johto native.

"Could I just have a quick look inside?" I asked hopefully, moving forward. "I was hoping to see the Crystal Bells."

The girl shook her head, her long dark hair flowing from side to side. "Sorry," she said again, walking down the path to meet me, "I'm not allowed to let anyone inside after hours. I'd get into trouble." There was a soft patter of feet and the long-bodied Pokemon I had seen earlier appeared at the girl's side. Closer up I could see that it was a Furret, though there was something odd about it. Furret were normally light tan with brown stripes, but this one seemed to be pink. Perhaps it was just the effect of the dim light. I chose to ignore it for the moment.

"Well," I said, sighing, "guess I might as well give up on the museum, too. It'll probably be closed."

"It is," said the girl, nodding. "We're kind of linked with them, for obvious reasons. I can tell you what time it'll be open tomorrow though."

"No, that's okay, I'm pretty sure I know." I sighed again and stretched my stiff muscles. "If you don't mind, though, could you tell me where the nearest burger restaurant is? My Pokemon and I are starving. We've been walking all day."

"Sure thing," she said, smiling again, "I know just the place. I was just about to go there myself. They have the best burgers in Ecruteak. Probably in all of Johto, but I haven't eaten at enough places to be sure yet," she paused, some idea distracting her momentarily, then she looked up and continued, "anyway, I'll show you the way."

"Thanks," I said, slightly taken aback. Hadn't I just gotten away from company?

'She's being nice and you will be sociable,' said Laila shortly.

The Furret behind her giggled. I sometimes forgot that all Pokemon understood all other Pokemon, though how I wasn't sure given that trainers could typically only understand their own Pokemon. Sometimes I wished I couldn't. It was uncomfortable being reprimanded by someone a fourth my size.

I looked at the girl walking next to me and considered her appearance. The Trainer Band hooked over her left ear indicated that she was a trainer, albeit a few years younger than myself. She had long dark hair, dark eyes and wore a friendly expression. I decided to listen to Laila and exhibit some sociability. I am not antisocial, nor am I prone to pushing other people away, but this quest had put me on my own for the first time in five years and I was kind of enjoying the experience. Today, however, it seemed I couldn't get away from people.

Still, I smiled at the girl and made an attempt at conversation. "So, what do you do at Tin Tower? Are you a tour guide?"

The girl laughed. "Oh no. Officially I don't work there at all. My older sister is a grounds keeper; you know, she makes sure everything is clean and kept and that the doors are locked every night. When I was younger she would let me come to work with her. At the time I thought it was great, but now I wish she hadn't let me come."

"Why not?"

"Well, when she wants to take a weekend off, and she usually does when I'm home, she asks me to fill in for her. I didn't mind at first, but then she started taking more and more time off. I've been filling in for her for two weeks, now."

"Well that doesn't seem very fair," I said, frowning. "It's her job; she shouldn't make you do it."

"Oh, no, it's not like that. See, she wants to enter the Silver Conference, but she can't without eight gym badges. I think she got all inspired when she saw me compete last year. Anyway, the only way she has time to go out and collect badges is during her vacation, and she took that a couple of months ago. I offered to help her out by covering some of her shifts so she could travel to nearest gyms and compete for badges. She's a really good trainer, but she's on her seventh badge which means she had to travel farther out than usual. She'll be back in a few days, though, and then I can leave."

I pondered this arrangement for a while. I had never considered that there might be active trainers who were unable to travel. I supposed it made sense. Many trainers set off on journeys, only to discover that travelling and battling wasn't what they really wanted to do. Those people often became breeders, Pokemon nurses, or even researchers. It wasn't that surprising, therefore, that some people could start out as a grounds keeper for a popular historical location and decide later on that they'd rather be a full-time trainer. It was just much harder to switch in their case.

"Here we are," said the girl, pointing at a small, somewhat run down restaurant on a street corner. The flickering sign out front read "Beck's". It didn't look particularly inviting to me. "Don't worry, it really is a good place." She pushed open the door then hesitated and looked back at me, "By the way, I haven't asked your name. Mine's Joana Silver, and this is my Furret." She offered her hand and I smiled as I took it.

"I'm Ren Raikus, and this is my Vaporeon, Laila."

"Oh, a Raikus," said Joana, nodding, "now I see why you wanted to visit the Tin Tower. I know a couple members of your family were up here last week. One of the guys in the gift shop told me. He's a fan of Sparky Raikus. I don't really know much about them, to be honest. Just that they have something to do with Raikou."

"Yeah," I said shiftily, "we're big into the Ecruteak legends."

"So is that why you're here? Trying to commune with Raikou or something?"

Laila laughed softly and pressed her tail against my leg, warning me to be nice. "I like Raikou just fine," I muttered. It wasn't exactly true, but I couldn't see any point getting into the details now, especially when I hadn't eaten. My stomach growled very loudly to demonstrate this point.

"Come on then," said Joana, opening the door and leading the way inside. "Let's eat, and afterwards, if you're feeling up to it, we can stop by the remains of the Burned Tower. It's a little spooky at night, but it's really neat to look at."

I perked up a little at this suggestion. The Burned Tower wouldn't hold any clues to Suicune, I was sure of that, but it would be fun to see it. Feeling more cheerful, I followed Joana inside Beck's. Laila and Furret padded after us.


	7. Chapter 6: The Burned Tower

Chapter 6: The Burned Tower

"So, is this legal?" I asked, peering around at the overgrown vines and bushes covering what remained of the Brass Tower. The two stories of rotting wood and drooping shingles bore little resemblance to the proud monument on the other side of town.

"It's a public place," said Joana cheerfully, leaning against the gate. "It's only the actual tower that's off limits. It's owned by the gym leader and his family. They used to let people come in and tour, but it was decided that it was no longer safe many years ago. That's when they built this fence to keep people out, but you can still come and see it any time you want."

"Yeah, but what's the fun of just standing outside a gate?" said a familiar voice from behind us.

Joana and I both turned to see Signalis and Sheena standing a short distance away, looking past us at the ruins. Sheena met my eyes briefly and smiled, but Signalis didn't look at me.

"What are you two doing here?" I asked, surprised.

"Well, the restaurant in the Pokemon Center was closed down so we had to go out and find something to eat. There was this picture on the wall at the place we found that had a picture of the Brass Tower, the way it looked before it burned down, I mean. It wasn't too far away and I was curious to see it in person."

"Right," said Signalis, rolling his eyes, "and I had to come because exploring old run-down dumps is a two person job, apparently," he looked from the tower to me and then to Joana. "I guess you thought so, too, which is odd since you seemed so determined to go off on your own."

I ignored him and looked at the Burned Tower again. I felt a strange urge to go inside, but I knew it was crazy to do so. The whole place could collapse at any moment.

"Well," said Signalis, moving forward, "what do you girls say? Up for an adventure?" He placed one hand on the fence as though about to climb it.

"You can't be serious," said Joana, placing her hands on her hips, "we can't go inside. That would be trespassing and dangerous. We could get hurt!"

"So? Where's the fun without a little risk." He hooked one foot into a fence rung and began climbing.

"Hey!" said Joana angrily, hurrying forward, "stop!"

I hesitated and looked back at the tower. What was it about that place? It felt as though something was calling to me…

'Ren,' said Laila, placing a paw on my leg, 'think before you do anything rash.'

I looked down at her, hesitating. A gentle breeze began blowing, ruffling Laila's smooth fur and blowing my blonde hair into my face. I closed my eyes for a moment and breathed in. The wind brought with it the smell of rain. I opened my eyes and looked up at the sky, my heart racing. The wind was blowing from the north. It had to be a sign. I hooked one foot through a rung on the fence and reached up to begin climbing.

"Ren!" cried Joana anxiously, turning from me to Signalis, who was grinning. "Come on, you can't. No one is supposed to go in there!"

"Yeah, it's against the law," said Sheena anxiously. "Come on, let's just go back to the Pokemon Center and get some sleep."

"No thanks," I said, grinning down at her, "and don't worry. I'm just going to get closer, I won't actually go in."

"Tch," said Signalis, reaching the top of the fence and swinging his legs over the top, "I will if I can find a way."

"What you do is none of my concern," I said, reaching the top and swinging over as well.

'You're both stupid,' said Laila irritably, now digging at the dirt so that she could squeeze underneath. With a squeak, Joana's Furret bounded forward and began to help.

"Furret," said Joana angrily, "don't help them." The Furret looked up and said something to its trainer, then continued digging. "Oh, fine then," sighed the younger trainer, and she began climbing.

Sheena hesitated, tugging at her scarf and hopping from one foot to the other. "I'm so not comfortable with this," she muttered, but gave in and followed Joana.

We walked slowly towards the base of the tower, stepping over stones and old bits of wood that had fallen off. The grass got taller and taller as we got closer until finally it reached our waists. Laila and Furret were completely lost from sight, though it wasn't too hard to locate them. The tip of Laila's tail poked above the grass, and the Furret's movements were easy to spot.

I reached into my small bag and pulled out thin rod which I hooked to the side of my Trainer Band. The rod activated and a beam of light illuminated the area in front of me. Signalis, Sheena, and Joana followed suit and soon four beams of light were dancing over the charred remains of the tower.

I wasn't as impressed as I thought I'd be. Vines had covered so much of the wood that it was hard to tell where nature ended and the building began. The area where a door would logically be had collapsed and was now covered with weeds and splinters of wood. No windows seemed to be visible which made the idea of entering virtually impossible.

"Hey, check this out," came Signalis's voice from the back of the building. We rounded the corner to see him pointing at a small gap between two boards.

"Yeah," I said, bending down to examine it, "so what? None of us could fit through there."

"Why would we want to?" asked Joana suspiciously, "you said you just wanted to get a closer look."

"I did," I replied, smiling at her, "and now I am. Anyway, we couldn't get inside if we wanted to." I had barely finished speaking when the wind picked up again causing one of the boards to rattle. I looked at it uncertainly for a moment, then reached out and tried to shift it. At once the board slid away from the base, the nails that held it in place sliding through the wood like a knife through butter. I pushed the board aside as far as it would go and aimed my light through the hole. There was a room on the other side. Without thinking, I squeezed myself through the gap and into the room. I could hear Sheena and Joana protesting behind me, but ignored them.

The inside of the Burned Tower wasn't much more impressive than the outside. Nature had begun to reclaim the wooden floorboards and staircases and the soft squeaks of Zubat could be heard from somewhere high above.

"Ren," snapped Joana from behind me, "we can't be in here. It's against the law and it's dangerous. Come on."

"Let's look around a bit first," said Signalis, coming to stand next to us.

'This is a terrible idea,' said Laila softly, her warm body pressing against my leg. 'The foundation of this building is severely damaged. If you bump into something the wrong way, the whole place could come down.'

"Then we won't touch anything," I said cheerfully, reaching down to stroke her soft fur. "We'll just walk around until we've seen everything, then we'll leave."

"I have to protest," said Joana, reaching out to take my arm, "I may not be the caretaker here, but I'm friends with the family who owns this place. I can't let you go wandering around. If you damage something-"

"Damage something?" scoffed Signalis, now examining the molding staircase with interest. "What could we possibly damage in here?"

"This place is sacred to the people of this region," she snapped back, tugging on my arm. "You should know that, Ren, even if he doesn't."

"I promise we won't damage anything," I said, pulling my arm out of her grip. I moved slowly around the room with Joana right behind me, huffing and holding onto my shirt in a nervous sort of way. I had no idea what I was looking for or why I was even in here, but I felt that there was somehow an important clue hidden inside this tower. If I could just find it…and there it was.

I hadn't known I had been listening for the sound of water until I heard it. A soft dripping came from somewhere just ahead. "Can you hear that?" I asked quietly.

"Here what?" whispered Joana, tightening her grip on my shirt. I could tell she was nervous.

"Listen," I whispered back.

Signalis walked over to stand next to us. Sheena's light shone in our direction, but she didn't join us. "I can't hear anything," said Signalis, his voice low.

"I swear I can hear," I began, taking a step forward. There was a loud creak. I froze, my eyes on the floor.

"We should get out of here," whispered Joana.

I shook my head. "Not just yet, I want to find out where that noise is coming from."

'There's no noise, Ren,' said Laila gently. 'Now come-Ren!'

I took another step. There was a deafening crack and I felt myself lurch forward. Signalis let out a yell and Joana screamed, her hand wrenched from my shirt as together we fell through the darkness.


	8. Chapter 7: A Proposition

Chapter 7: A Proposition

Rain Uzumaki was furious. He paced back and forth under the dark sky, kicking up leaves and dirt in his agitation. He's succeeded in beating that kid, Signalis, but then he'd been run off by some brat and her Feraligatr. He wasn't used to being beaten, even under unfair circumstances. If his Pokemon hadn't been worn out from the battle with Signalis, he would have been able to take down the girl with ease. As it was, he had been forced to run, a humiliation he hadn't suffered since he was a child.

A soft beeping began to emanate from his Trainer Band. Rain ignored it and continued his pacing. He would have to come up with some way to get back at Signalis and the girl for making him look like a fool. True, he hadn't really intended to steal Signalis's Dragonair, but he had wanted to make the younger boy beg a little before letting him leave.

Rain's Trainer Band began beeping again, more loudly this time. "Ignore," he snapped, balling his hands into fists. The Trainer Band fell silent. With a loud huff, he stopped his pacing and looked around him. It was completely dark in the forest now which would make travel difficult, even with his map and light. He hesitated for a moment, considering the possibility of setting up camp for the night.

The Trainer Band began to beep again. "What?" Rain snarled, activating the phone chip inside the band.

A small, hologram screen materialized in front his left eye. The image of a boy with red hair and a big nose appeared on the screen. Beneath the picture was a name and a short list of personal information.

"Uzumaki," said a nasally voice, "what's up, man, I've tried calling three times!"

"I'm busy," snapped Rain angrily, glaring at the picture on the screen. It did him no good as the person on the other end couldn't see his expression, but it made him feel better. "This better be important."

"It is," said the man, "I got a business proposition for you. Ever heard of Damian Black?"

"No," said Rain irritably, scanning his memory for the name.

"Well, he's this billionaire kid. Parents dropped dead a few years ago and left him everything. He runs Olivine Resort, you know, that fancy place where only rich people stay. Anyway, word on the street is he also has a side business going on, and I thought you might be just the person to recommend for a job."

"What kind of side business?" asked Rain in a much calmer tone. His friend had a habit of getting mixed up with the wrong kind of people. Rain might not be such a nice guy, but he knew better than to associate himself with real criminals. Prison would mess with a lot of his plans.

"Mostly just buying and selling questionable items and Pokemon," said the man with the nasally voice, "but sometimes he also deals in information. People want a job done, they go to him and he finds the right guy for the job, you know how it is."

"What's this got to do with me? I don't have any reason to get mixed up with a guy like that."

"You haven't heard what he's offering! Five thousand pen and any two evolutionary stones of your choice. I know you're hurting for cash right now, man, so don't even act like that isn't something you want."

Rain hesitated. He was running very low on pen, which was another reason he was so pissed at that girl for preventing him from collecting his winnings from Signalis. Five thousand pen and two stones would set him up for a long time. Was it worth getting mixed up with this Damian Black guy?

"What's the job?" asked Rain, his tone guarded.

"Well, rumor has it a well known water trainer is back in Johto. Apparently someone's got the hots for her or something and they want information on where she's going and what she's doing. All you'd have to do is track her for a bit, make a report, and bam, five thousand big ones."

Rain considered the proposition for a few minutes. What did he care if some pervert wanted to spy on a popular trainer? He was sure things like that happened all the time. Dealing with obsessed fans was a price that had to be paid for fame.

"Just think about it, all right," said the man, "I'm doing you a favor. Believe me, if I wasn't doing a job in Unova I'd be all over this one. It's a huge reward for a little information. Here's the contact info for Damian," the man paused a few seconds later a phone number appeared on Rain's screen, "and while I'm at it, here's some stuff about the girl. Let me know how it goes, okay?" There was a click as the man with the nasally voice hung up.

A slow smile spread over Rain's face as he looked at the picture and information his friend had sent him. He couldn't have found himself in a more perfect situation if he'd tried. He told his Trainer Band to dial Damian Black's number, keeping his eye fixed on the picture on his screen.

"Hello," said a low voice.

"Am I speaking with Damian Black?"

"Who wants to know?" asked the voice quietly.

"My name is Rain Uzumaki. A friend of mine told me you needed some information on a certain water trainer in Johto. Said you'd pay well for it."

"Perhaps," said the voice in an amused tone, "but what qualifies you to be my informant?"

"Because I just met her," said Rain, holding back a laugh, "and I have a pretty good idea where she's going. It'll be easy for me to track her."

"Hmm," said the man lazily, "why don't you stop by my office in Olivine tomorrow and we'll discuss this further. I'll send you my address. Be there at ten A.M. sharp."

"I look forward to it," said Rain, grinning. There was a click as the man on the other line hung up. Rain chuckled to himself, looking again at the picture of the girl, taking in her olive skin and strange eyes. "I hope you're having fun in Ecruteak, Ren Raikus."


	9. Chapter 8: Well, This is Bad

Chapter 8: Well, This is Bad

I was cold. Cold and clammy. My clothes felt damp and heavy and the air around me smelled dank and musty. I tried to move, but my muscles refused to respond. Was I dreaming? Something stirred in the back of my mind. I'd been exploring…somewhere, following…something. The silence pressed in around me. There was nothing around me, nothing…except the faint drip, drip of water.

A soft breeze blew across my face, ruffling my hair and chilling my body still further. I shivered and took a deep breath. Another breeze blew over me and suddenly it clicked. My eyes snapped open and I choked out, "Laila…"

There was no answer. I called again, forcing my arms to move so that I could push myself onto my knees. I scanned the area but all I could see was darkness. I reached up to examine my Trainer Band. A large crack ran through the side. "Analyze," I said, my voice still hoarse. The band sparked a few times and a holographic screen flickered into life, then vanished. I cursed. Without my Trainer Band I was lost in the dark. No light, no way to detect anything in front of me.

The band flashed again and for a moment a beam of light illuminated the area. It flickered out again, but not before I made out the small figure lying a few feet in front of me. I crawled forward, feeling my way along, searching…my hand came into contact with something soft. I ran my fingers over the soft fur and felt my heart sink.

"Laila? Laila, say something." She didn't respond. I moved my hand over her body until it was over her heart. There was one horrible moment when I felt nothing, then the slow thud of a heartbeat reached my fingers. I breathed a sigh of relief and stroked the Vaporeon gently. I had no way of knowing how badly she was hurt and I was hesitant to move her until I did. I leaned back on my shins and reached down to my belt, detaching Laila's Pokeball and aiming it in her direction.

"Hello?" said a scared voice as silver light flashed around the room, pulling Laila inside the Pokeball.

I clipped the ball back onto my belt and looked around. "Joana?"

"Ren? Where are you?"

"I'm," I began, then faltered. I didn't know where I was. "Does your light work?"

"I don't think so," came Joana's voice. I tried to determine which direction it came from, but the echo made it impossible to tell. "I think it came detached in the fall. Yours?"

"Broken," I called back. "Are we the only ones that fell?"

A deep moan answered my question. "My head," said Signalis's voice.

"Signalis, are you okay?"

"Uhn," was his only answer.

I sat still for a few moments, trying to figure out what to do. If I could only see I'd be able to…hey! I reached down to my belt again and unclipped another ball. "Yahzi, I need your Flash!" Silver light flashed through the room again, solidifying then dimming until it was gone.

'Oh, it's dark,' said a slow voice in a mild tone.

"Yes, sweetie, that's why I need you to use Flash."

'Oh, sure, Ren,' said the voice. Light slowly flickered into life, growing brighter until two shining eyes became visible, piercing the darkness. Yahzi's short figure was now visible, his round face, small ears, and chubby pink body standing out against the dark mud floor.

"Cute Slowpoke," said Joana, walking over to us. I looked up and noticed that her long black hair was clumped with mud and she held one arm at an odd angle, but otherwise she seemed to be unharmed.

"Thanks," I said, taking her proffered hand and clambering to my feet. My right leg let out a throb of protest, but it didn't seem to be badly hurt. "Where's Signalis?"

"Here," said Signalis.

We turned and saw him lying on his stomach a few yards away. Joana reached him before I did. "Are you okay?"

"Fine," mumbled Signalis, trying to push himself up. "Might have bruised a rib," he added, trying to smile.

"Can you get up?" I asked, bending down next to him.

"Yeah, just give me a minute." He placed both hands on the ground and pushed, letting out a grunt of pain but succeeding in sitting up. He clutched his chest and took several shallow breaths.

"Maybe you should have your Pokemon carry you," I suggested, looking him up and down.

"Can't," grunted Signalis, wincing, "they're still at the Pokemon Center."

"Okay, I can have Rebel-"

"I don't need to be carried," he snapped, forcing himself into a standing position.

"Suit yourself," I replied, more coldly than was really necessary.

"How are we going to get out?" asked Joana, offering her hand to help me to my feet.

"Well, I think first we have to figure out where we are."

'Underground,' said Yahzi mildly, his glowing eyes moving slowly back and forth as he observed the room. 'There is something here…something old.'

I felt a chill rise up my spine and looked around uneasily. It certainly looked as though we were underground. Dark earth stretched out around us, dotted here and there with rocks and boulders. The nearest wall curved away into a passageway. I turned my head and saw a low sloping ceiling to the left with thick stone pillars descending from it. It would be very difficult to maneuver in that direction. I looked up and saw a dim spot of light high above. It must have been the hole we had fallen through. I considered calling to Sheena, but I doubted she would be able to hear me from this distance. I looked back at the passageway.

'That way,' said Yahzi, taking a few steps in the direction I was looking.

"It's the only way," I replied, glancing at Joana and Signalis. They both nodded and began walking after Yahzi.

I reached down and lifted the Slowpoke into my arms. He wasn't exactly light but I knew he would be more comfortable in my arms than walking on his own. He was the only Pokemon I travelled with that did not battle. I had found him when he was still an egg and I had never felt the need to train him to fight like the others.

'I'm okay, Ren,' he said, wrapping his tail around my arm and bumping me under the chin with his head.

"I know you are, sweetie. I just want to make sure you're protected."

"Yeah, that's a good idea. Maybe if you'd held onto that Vaporeon-"

"Don't," I said in a low voice, "just don't."

"I'm sure Laila is okay," said Joana gently, reaching out to lay a hand on my arm. "Pokemon's bodies are tougher than ours. She probably just got knocked out."

"Yeah, I'm positive she's dandy," muttered Signalis, but he didn't push the issue.

We continued to walk in silence for what felt like hours. I turned back several times to look behind me. I had the strangest feeling that something was following us, but every time I looked there was nothing there. Eventually Signalis told me to stop being paranoid and I avoided looking behind me.

After sometime I began to notice a difference in the air I was breathing. Instead of becoming lighter and fresher, it was becoming heavier and the smell of earth and was becoming stronger. I had the horrible feeling that we were moving further underground, but we hadn't yet found an alternate route.

'Listen,' said Yahzi softly.

I paused, straining my ears for any sound. For a moment there was nothing, then suddenly I heard the gentle drip, drip of water. I hadn't heard the sound since waking in the first room. It had to be a sign. "Where's it coming from?"

"Where's what coming from?" asked Joana nervously, peering around at the rough walls and low ceiling.

"The sound of water," I said, gesturing at nothing in particular.

"I can't hear it," said Signalis. I looked at him and noticed that his face was shining with sweat. His hand was pressed hard over his chest and his eyes were glazed with pain.

"We should stop and rest," I murmured, moving towards him.

"I'm fine," he grunted defiantly.

"Nonsense," said Joana curtly, taking hold of his arm and steering him towards a boulder. "Anyone with eyes can see that you need to rest." She forced him to sit on the boulder then swung her bag from her shoulder and produced a small bottle of water. "Here, drink this."

Reluctantly Signalis took the water and swallowed a few sips before handing it back to Joana. "You drink, too," he said stubbornly.

Joana smiled and took a long drink then passed it to me. I took a big gulp then offered what remained to Yahzi. He shook his head and motioned for me to give the rest to Signalis who finished it off. We stood in silence for a minute, none of us sure of what to say.

"Where do you suppose we are?" asked Joana after a while.

"Well, legends have spoken about secret rooms in the Brass Tower for centuries. Maybe this is what they meant," I replied, leaning against the rock wall.

"So you reckon there's a way out?" asked Signalis, not looking at me.

"Of course there is," I snapped. I checked my tone and added more gently, "someone made these tunnels, so there must be a way out."

"I'm not so sure," grunted the boy, "these tunnels don't look manmade. If they were they'd be more…even. There'd be signs of them. Tools or at least tool marks. I haven't seen anything that looks like that."

"Well they were probably carved a long time ago," said Joana, smiling, "so they wouldn't have had any sophisticated equipment."

"Yeah," I added quickly, "for all we know they used their Pokemon to dig this tunnels. There wouldn't have been any tools then, would there?"

Signalis snorted. "And maybe Pokemon made them without people, did you think of that?" His voice was beginning to rise. "Dugtrio have been known to carve out much larger tunnels than this."

"And they just happened to dig out a huge cavern right underneath the Brass Tower?" I snapped back, glaring at him.

"Why not?" He pressed his fist against the wall, his voice rising still further, "it's completely possible. Maybe the people who built the tower didn't even know it was there. Or maybe they did and thought it would be a great place to hide in emergencies. Maybe the tunnels don't actually lead anywhere and if we keep going we'll eventually run out of air and suffocate!" He was shouting now, his eyes wide.

"Don't say that!" cried Joana, clutching her bag to her chest. "I'm sure there's a way out! There has to be!"

"I know there is!" I shouted, cutting off Signalis's reply. "Even Dugtrio would have come to the surface eventually. There is absolutely no point in getting all worked up about this!"

Signalis opened his mouth to retort, his pupils wide and his eyes narrowed in anger. There was a strange rumble from overhead and all three of us looked up to see dust falling in a thin stream from the ceiling. We froze, all of us waiting anxiously. "We should move," said Signalis loudly, too loudly. There was another rumble and a few small rocks began to fall from the ceiling. Something was shifting. A few more rocks fell, then there was a loud snap and the ceiling just behind us began to fall.

"Run!" I screamed, reaching out to grab Joana's hand and pulling her forward. Signalis grabbed her other hand and together was ran, the roar of falling rock and dirt echoing through the tunnel. Dust shot forward, clogging my nose and mouth as I gasped for air, but I kept running, not letting go of Joana or Yahzi. I could feel Signalis sprinting along beside us but I couldn't see anything.

Then there was silence. Slowly, cautiously, we stopped running. All three of us coughed and choked, trying to rid our lungs of the dust still swirling around us. I turned to look back down the passageway. As the dust settled I felt my heart sink. Huge chunks of rock had fallen from the ceiling, blocking our way back to the chamber we had fallen into. If Signalis was right and the tunnel didn't end at the surface we were trapped. Worse still, the rock sealed the tunnel from the only known source of air. If this tunnel didn't extend to the surface, we would eventually run out of oxygen.

"Ren," said Joana quietly, gripping my hand and staring at the pile of boulders, "I'm scared."

I gripped her hand back, unable to reply.


	10. Chapter 9: Help!

Chapter 9: Help!

Sheena felt a sharp stitch piercing her side as she ran flat out across the cobblestone sidewalks that curved this way and that through Ecruteak City. Her heart pounded in her chest, both from running and from fear. Around every corner and down every alley she could see the faces of Ren, Joana, Signalis, and Laila as they fell through the rotted floorboards in the Burned Tower. She had tried to reach them, but had been too far away to do anything other than grab Joana's Furret which had attempted to jump into the hole after its trainer.

The two had wrestled for several long moments before Sheena was able to convince the Furret to listen to her.

"_You won't help her by going down there," she gasped, keeping a cautious grip on the Furret's thick fur. "You'll just risk getting hurt. We have to try to help from up here."_

_The Furret twitched its ears and flicked its tail in an agitated fashion. It turned to look at the hole then back at Sheena. It let out a high chirp and stretched its long body to peer over the edge of the splintered wood. Even this small amount of weight caused the wood to creak ominously, and Sheena pulled Furret further back, gazing anxiously around. _

"_It's not safe to stay here," she said, though she hesitated. How could she help the others if she couldn't get to the hole? If she had some rope, she could send it down to them and let them climb up, but there was no way to know how deep the hole was or how wide. The floor creaked again as she sat there and she made up her mind to get out of the building. Ignoring the small Pokemon's protests, Sheena scooped up the Furret and retreated, pushing her way through the loose board in the wall. _

_Furret wriggled out of the girl's grip and stood on its hind legs, sniffing the air and turning its ears this way and that, searching for something. It let out another chirp and looked up at Sheena._

"_I'm going to find help," she said, turning towards the city. _

_Furret nodded and motioned for her to get going, then it turned and disappeared into the tall grass, streaking away in the opposite direction. _

Sheena had no idea where Furret had gone, but she didn't stop to wonder about it. She had to find the police station and get them to send out a rescue team. She was sure Ren and the others were still alive, she was just sure, but they could be hurt. Even if they weren't, they were still trapped underneath the tower. How would she explain that without revealing that they'd trespassed? Well, that wasn't important at the moment. No matter what the punishment for trespassing, it wouldn't be as bad as being left wherever they were.

She hurtled around a corner and ran straight into something brown and tall. The boy grunted at the impact and stumbled. Sheena bounced backwards and lost her balance, tripping off the edge of the sidewalk and falling. The boy reached out and caught her, pulling her back into a standing position.

"Thanks," Sheena gasped, clutching her side and looking up at the boy. He was at least a foot taller than her and a few years older. He had brown hair and matching eyes, features that were complimented by the brown jacket he wore.

"In a hurry, are we?" asked the boy, smiling down at her.

"Are you late for something?" asked a female voice. Sheena looked around and saw a girl standing just behind the boy. She was about the same age as Sheena, blonde, and dressed in a black athletic outfit.

"I," Sheena began, slightly disoriented from the collision, "no, I mean yes, I'm in a hurry. But no I'm not late. My friends are…they fell, I don't know where, but the boards were rotted and Ren tried to walk on them, and now they're trapped! I don't know what to do!" A single hot tear escaped her eye and she brushed it away. Both the boy and the girl were staring at her in a bemused sort of way. Neither seemed to have understood what she was trying to say. "Can you tell me where the police station is?" she added quickly, deciding that she had already wasted too much time.

"Uh, yeah," said the blonde girl, looking concerned, "it's just down this street and to the left. Go down about, I don't know, two blocks, and it's right there. You can't miss it."

"Thank you!" Sheena shouted in reply, already running away in the direction the girl had indicated.

"Hey, wait," called the boy, but Sheena kept running.

She took the first left she came to and immediately saw the sign for the police a couple of blocks down. In another moment she had reached it and pulled on the door, but it didn't move. She pulled on it again, harder, but still it didn't move. She pressed her face against the glass, but all she could see inside was darkness. How could this be? Police stations did not close, they just did not. There were rules and laws and regulations. She herself had read a book detailing the requirements of an active police station.

"Hello?" she called, hoping someone would hear her. She banged on the glass, her face still pressed against it. "Is anyone in there?" There was no reply. She banged on the glass again, more forcefully this time. It shuddered slightly, but the room inside remained dark and silent. "I need help!" she yelled, tugging at the door handle and slamming her fist into the glass. "Please! My friends are-"

"There's no one in there," said a boy's voice from behind her. She spun around and saw the brown haired boy and blonde girl hurrying towards her. "Ecruteak is one of the most peaceful cities in Johto. The police are only on night duty four days out of the week. The Citizen's Watch takes over when they're not around."

"That can't be legal!" Sheena cried indignantly, "they can't leave the city unprotected! My friends are trapped under the Burned Tower and-"

"The Burned Tower?" interrupted the girl, sounding surprised, "what were they doing in there? It's fenced off."

"Does it matter?" asked Sheena, starting to feel irritated, "they were inside and now they're trapped."

"What do you mean trapped?" asked the boy in a gentle tone. "Do you mean they got locked inside?"

"No," said Sheena, forcing herself to remain calm, "they were inside exploring and the floor caved in. I couldn't get to them and I don't know if they're hurt or not."

"Oh," said the girl quickly, standing up a little taller and nodding, "well then, we have to do something. I'm a member of the Citizen's Watch. I'll help you rescue your friends." She looked up at the boy who nodded.

"Of course I'll help, too," he said, smiling.

"Thank you, thank you so much!" said Sheena, feeling an enormous wave of relief flow through her. She turned and ran back in the direction of the Burned Tower, the girl from the Citizen's Watch and the boy with brown hair running after her.

"I'm Lexie, by the way," said the girl, smiling at her as they ran, "Lexie Olivia."

"And I'm Mark Secritious," said the boy, turning to look back at them. His long legs allowed him to run faster than both girls.

"Sheena Johnson," said Sheena distractedly. This didn't seem like the right moment for introductions. Perhaps these two didn't understand how bad the situation really was.

They reached the Burned Tower in good time and climbed over the fence. Sheena showed Lexie and Mark where the loose board in the wall was, and they squeezed through, Mark with some difficulty.

The hole was easily spotted and the three of them stood around the edges of the room, trying to think of a way to get Ren, Signalis, and Joana out. It didn't seem possible. Every time one of them approached too close to the hole, the floor would creak ominously. At one point Lexie had to be pulled back by Mark to prevent her from falling in when a few more boards gave way.

"I think we're going to have to accept that there's no way to reach them through here," said Lexie, looking around the room for other options. "This structure is just too old and damaged. If the supports for this building are as badly damaged as the floor, then attaching a rope to any of them could cause the whole place to collapse. We'll have to think of something else."

Mark nodded, placing one hand on the younger girl's waist. "I agree, and I think we should get out of this place as soon as possible. No more close calls, please."

Lexia smiled up at him. "Don't worry about me," she said cheerfully, taking his hand and leading him towards the loose board that marked the exit.

Sheena felt a sense of foreboding but followed them outside. They walked in different directions, each looking around for anything that might be useful. Sheena felt her eyes drifting off in the direction Furret had run. Perhaps the small Pokemon had detected something she could not. She looked up, about to say that she thought they should follow Furret's path, but was cut off by a low rumble that seemed to come from under the ground.

"That's odd," said Mark, pausing and looking around at the tall grass and nearby trees. "It sounds like, like…" he trailed off.

The rumbling continued for several long minutes, then slowly faded away. Sheena swallowed, fighting the urge to start running around in circles like a crazy person. There was absolutely no proof the rumbling had been anything other than thunder or a truck on the nearby road. Seriously, what were the odds of a cave-in happening shortly after Ren and the others had fallen into some underground pit. It had be extremely unlikely, right?


	11. Chapter 10: A Way Out?

Chapter 10: A Way Out?

I sat with my back pressed against the cold stone wall, my arms wrapped securely around Yahzi's plump form. His head rested on my chest and his tail was still curled around my arm. His Flash had faded to a dim glow to allow Signalis, Joana, and I to get some much needed rest.

We had walked for at least two more hours after the cave-in, but there had been little change in the scenery. There had seemed to be some change in the quality of the air, but none of us could tell if it was a good change or a bad one. We had to hope, though. So far we hadn't noticed any signs of the cave ending in a dead end or of running out of oxygen. I supposed these were good signs, but still…

Yahzi yawned and closed his eyes, causing the cave to become completely dark. I gazed around at the blackness for a few minutes, listening to my companion's slow breathing. Despite the danger we were in, I felt strangely peaceful. It was as though the calmness of the cave had started to seep into me, filling me with a sense of serenity…

"_Hang in there, Rebel!" I shouted, my hands balled into fists and shaking slightly with nerves. I had to catch this Marill. It was the first water Pokemon I had found on my journey and it was high up on my list of awesome Pokemon. The problem was, this Marill was tough. Really tough. It seemed like every attack my Totodile tried failed to do any significant damage._

_Rebel hopped from foot to foot, his mouth open and his chest rising and falling quickly. He was clearly out of breath, but he kept moving. The Marill appeared to be unscathed and glared at Rebel, refusing to back down. It's small round body was powerful and tensed for another attack. _

"_Rebel, Bite!" Rebel lunged forward, his jaws opened wide for the attack._

_Marill curled into a ball to protect itself. Rebel's Bite hit its mark, but Marill just twisted and rolled away from him. Rebel let out a growl and lunged again, not waiting for my instructions. Marill sprang up and spun around, smacking him in the face with its long tail. _

"_Grab its tail!" I shouted quickly, struck by a sudden idea. If Rebel could stop Marill from moving around, he might have a chance to land a solid attack. _

_Rebel bit down on Marill's tail and swung the small water Pokemon around. Marill let out a cry and twisted around, trying to free itself. _

"_Don't let go!" I yelled, feeling hope flicker through me, "Make it dizzy then hit it with Tackle!" Rebel swung Marill around again then opened his jaws, causing the little water type to fly through the air and hit the ground hard. Before it could stand, Rebel launched himself forward and finally landed a critical hit with his Tackle attack. Marill let out a short cry and collapsed, looking up at me with a curious look on its face. I had to resist the urge to cheer as I reached into my bag for a Pokeball. I held it tightly for a moment, took a deep breath, then threw it the way I had seen trainers in TV shows throw._

_The ball sailed right over Marill and hit a nearby tree. Rebel, Marill, and I all stared at it for a few silent moments, then Rebel and the Marill both erupted into laughter. _

"_I…but…Rebel, you're not supposed to laugh, too!"_

_Rebel tried to choke back his laughs, but failed. Instead a jet of water shot out of his mouth, soaking the Pokeball and everything around it. This caused him to laugh still harder, with the Marill joining, now rolling around on the ground in mirth. I glowered at both of them, digging around in my bag for another ball, listening to their laughter and the soft, drip, drip of water…_

Something flashed in front of my eyes. I jumped and jerked awake, staring around for the source of the light. My Trainer Band flashed again and I sat bolt upright, jolting Yahzi off my chest. It had been too quick to be sure, but I was almost positive my band had detected the presence of something in the cave. I felt my heart pound as I tapped the cracked surface furiously, trying to get it to come back on. Nothing happened.

'Did you have a bad dream?' asked Yahzi slowly, clambering awkwardly back into my lap.

"What?" I said, now looking left and right in the darkness. I still couldn't see anything.

"Ren?" came Joana's voice from somewhere in front of me. "Are you all right?"

"I, yeah, fine," I muttered, placing a hand over my face. I strained my ears, trying to detect the sound of footsteps. There was only the sound of gentle breathing and my own pounding heart. And water. I raised my head, looking around again. The soft drip, drip of water was louder than ever in my ears. For the first time I could match a direction to the sound. I wrapped an arm around Yahzi and scrambled to my feet, staring off to my right. "Can you hear it?" My voice sounded hoarse and breathless as though I had just run several miles.

"Hear what?" Signalis's voice sounded groggy as though he had only just woken up.

"The water!" I cried, taking a few steps forward and stumbling over some loose rocks. "It's coming from this direction! Come on, we need to follow it." There was no response. "Get up," I said impatiently, reaching out with my free hand. My muscles tensed as I searched in the darkness. Something was rising up within me, a strange feeling of longing.

'You're hurting me, Ren,' mumbled Yahzi, struggling to free himself from my grip. I released him instinctively and he fell to the ground.

"Oh, Yahzi!" I said, distracted. I tried to reach for him but only succeeded in tripping over another patch of rock.

"Ren?" Joana sounded very concerned now. I could hear her stumbling around in the darkness, trying to find me.

There was a sudden blinding flash of light and the passageway became as bright as day for a few moments. The light dimmed until it was only a gentle glow emanating from a central point. I twisted around and saw Yahzi lying on his back, his eyes glowing once more.

'I'm okay, Ren,' he said, rolling slowly onto his stomach before clambering to his feet. 'You seem distracted.'

I pushed myself onto my knees and looked in the direction I had heard the sound of water. The sound was gone, but I was sure it had been there. I didn't know why, but I knew it was the direction we needed to go. "I…I…" I stammered, trying to describe what I was feeling.

Footsteps announced Joana's approach. She offered me a hand. "This cave is starting to mess with your head, I think," she said softly, worry etched in her face.

"Yeah, chill out," grunted Signalis, heaving himself to his feet. "We don't need you spazzing out on us."

"I'm not spazzing," I muttered, taking Joana's hand and pulling myself to my feet. "I did hear water, and I know that's the direction we're supposed to go." I gestured in the direction of the passageway.

"Brilliant," snorted Signalis, rolling his eyes, "and you know that because it's the only way to go."

Joana said nothing, but I could tell she agreed with him.

"No," I snapped, striding forward. "It's here, it's close." I took several more steps, pressing my hands against the wall of the passage, searching for any sign of…of…

"Ren, there's nothing there. It's just solid wall. Come back over here and sit down."

I ignored her and continued to move down the passage. I pressed hard against the rock, my hands letting out twinges of protest as the rough rock began to strip away the first few layers of skin. I kept moving, gripped by a feverish longing. It was here, it was close…my foot caught on something on the ground and I pitched forward. Several more layers of skin were punctured as I reached out to catch myself on rock protruding from the wall. The rock creaked for a moment as I pressed on it, trying to right myself, then gave way. I managed to stay standing, but just barely. I was about to move on when I smelled it. I froze, excitement filling me. I looked at the place where the rock had come loose and saw a hole. I leaned closer, breathing in, taking in the smell of water that was drifting it through the hole.

"It's here!" I yelled, pulling at more rocks to enlarge the hole. It was close.

Signalis, Joana, and Yahzi moved towards me, all three of them looking at me as though I had gone mad. I ignored them and continued to dig at the rock. The hole grew steadily larger and larger. Joana hesitated for a few minutes, then stepped up beside me and bent down to look in the hole.

"What makes you think that leads anywhere?" she asked in a tone that suggested she was speaking to someone very ill.

"I can smell it," I said gleefully, pulling several more chunks of rock away. How could she not sense it? Sense what was waiting for us on the other side?

Signalis joined us and grabbed my wrist with his hand. "I don't think you should be doing that," he said, looking nervously up at the ceiling, "this cave isn't stable. We already learned that once."

"This is the right way," I snapped, yanking my arm out of his grip. I had to get through. I took a step backwards, then threw my weight against the wall. There was a creak and a shifting of rock.

"Ren!" cried Joana, seizing the back of my shirt.

I pulled free, the feeling of certainty so strong I thought I might choke on it. I threw my weight against the rock again. Several stones shifted. Both Joana and Signalis lunged forward to grab me and Yahzi let out a whimper, but I dodged them both and threw my weight against the rock for a third time. There was a crash as the stones gave way. I felt my body falling and landed with a grunt on a pile of dirt and rock. I coughed and choked, my nose and mouth clogged with dust. I squinted through the debris still hanging in the air and saw a dark passageway ahead of me.

Someone grabbed me and hauled me to my feet. The person spun me around and I saw Signalis's furious expression as he opened his mouth to shout something.

"Look," gasped Joana, pointing down the newly exposed passage. "There was something there."

Signalis looked and said nothing for several long moments. He let go of me and I collapsed, panting, to the ground. The fierce energy that had surged through me just a short while ago was gone. I felt slightly confused. What had come over me? It was as if I had been possessed by some…some…something. Sometimes my descriptive powers astonish even me.

'Ren, you're bleeding,' whimpered Yahzi, licking at a cut on my arm.

I smiled down at him and reached out to stroke his short fur. "I'm fine," I said gently, rubbing one his velvety ears.

He licked my hand. We both looked up at the sound of raised voices.

"I'm not going down there! Just because she had some kind of fit…"

"She knew it was there! That has to mean something," Joana exclaimed, gesturing at me and then at the side passage.

"She had a lucky hunch," growled Signalis. "We have no idea if that passage leads to the outside. We're better off continuing down this one," he pointed down the main passage.

"We've been walking down this passage for hours!" shouted Joana, getting mad for the first time since falling through the floorboard in the tower, "and it hasn't led us anywhere! It could go on for miles and miles. If anything, taking a side passage could be a shortcut-"

"To what? The magical water Ren keeps going on about? Or did you forget she was hallucinating just a few minutes ago. Now you want to-"

"Maybe there is water down there! And if there is, it might lead-"

Signalis cut her off again. I looked down at Yahzi, ignoring both of them. His glowing eyes were difficult to read. The light was hurting my head. I closed my eyes and tried to hear past the sounds of Joana and Signalis fighting. From far away down the passage I could hear…nothing. I strained my ears, leaning forward slightly. Nothing…nothing…nothing…drip…drip…drip…

I stood up and opened my eyes. I nodded to Yahzi and then, without a word to Joana or Signalis, I began to walk determinedly down the new passage. I heard their argument falter as they realized what I was doing, but I didn't turn back. I just focused as hard as I could on the soft drip, drip of water that I knew would lead me to where I wanted to go.


	12. Chapter 11: The Search Continues

Chapter 11: The Search Continues

Sheena, Mark, and Lexie ran as fast as they could through the tall grass, each straining to keep the Furret they were chasing in sight. The small Pokemon had reappeared after the rumbling had stopped and the three trainers had had only moments to decide whether or not to follow it. Sheena had been the one to make the call, sprinting off after the pink Pokemon as it dove back into the long grass.

Where it was taking them, they had no idea, but each knew that Pokemon's senses were much sharper than humans. It had clearly detected something that they had not.

They ran for what felt like hours, stopping every now and then to catch their breath and drink some water. At one point Furret vanished into a nearby clump of bushes and reappeared with fresh blackberries for them to snack on. Then they were off again.

The grass ended not long after their journey began, giving way to thicker and thicker clusters of trees and bushes. Branches lashed out through the darkness, grabbing at their hair, clothes, and faces, leaving long scratches on exposed skin, but they continued on. Sheena felt as though there was a lead weight pressing against her stomach. She couldn't stop thinking about Ren, Joana, and Signalis, trapped underground with rocks falling all around them. What would she do if they were…but she couldn't think about that.

Lexie and Mark weren't sure what kept them going after the first hour on the move, but they had given their word to Sheena that they would help her and her friends.

Finally, in the early hours of the morning according to their Trainer Bands, the trees started to thin and Furret slowed down. It stood on its hind legs for a few moments, sniffing the air carefully, then hopped forward slowly, turned, sniffed, and bounded through a dense thicket of bushes and branches.

Sheena, Lexie, and Mark tried to follow, but the foliage was too thick. Sheena pulled out a shiny green Pokeball with white streaks running across it. It was a Wind Specialty ball, designed for flying type Pokemon.

"Star, come out and help us cut through," she called, tossing the ball into the air.

The ball burst open and spilled white light into the air. It twisted and curved into the form of a large, fierce looking bird Pokemon. The Staraptor let out a shriek and flapped its large wings three times, forcing air forward with such force that it ripped through the branches with ease.

"Good call," said Lexie, smiling at Sheena in approval.

"And nice Staraptor," added Mark, following the two girls as they clambered through the debris.

Sheena was about the respond, but she stopped when she saw what lay ahead. A low outcrop of rock had appeared between the trees, and at the base was the entrance to a cave. Furret stood just outside, looking back at the trainers, waiting for them to join it.

"Do you think that leads to your friends?" asked Mark quietly.

"Furret seems to," said Sheena, striding forward, "and that's good enough for me."


	13. Chapter 12: The Crystal Lake

Chapter 12: The Crystal Lake

Signalis and Joana had been oddly quiet as we walked down the passageway I had discovered. I didn't try to encourage conversation because I was too busy focusing on the sound of water that was steadily growing louder. Once or twice I allowed myself to wonder if Signalis had been right and the sound only existed inside my head, but any time my attention drifted the sound began to fade away, so I pushed those thoughts out my head.

Yahzi walked beside me, keeping pace with me much more easily than I would have suspected. He was tougher than I gave him credit for. Not only could he move faster than I thought, but he had been maintaining his Flash attack for hours, with only a short rest to compensate. He showed no signs of wearing out, though. I smiled to myself, feeling pride well up within me.

"Hey," said Joana in a surprised tone, stopping suddenly, "I hear it."

I blinked, my attention distracted, and turned to look at her. "Hear what?" I asked.

"Well, the water," she said, as though this should have been obvious.

Signalis looked at her, then down the passage, then back to her. "I think…" he trailed off. Something in his expression told me he could hear the sound as well, but didn't want to admit it after the fuss he had made earlier.

I looked down the passageway and listened to the faint drip of water. It did not fade away, even as I let my mind wander to another subject. It was really real. "Not much farther," I said happily, speeding up as I continued walking.

We hurried onward for perhaps ten more minutes, then the tunnel turned sharply. A faint glow seemed to be shining from around the bend. We rounded the bend and halted, all four of us gazing openmouthed at the sight before us.

A short ledge protruded over the edge of an enormous underground lake. It rippled outward for several hundred yards, touching the walls on two sides. An enormous stalagmite rose in the center of the crystal clear water. Hanging above it was an equally large stalactite. Water dripped from the hanging stalactite onto the stalagmite below, the sound echoing around the chamber. From somewhere deep under the water, gleaming from underneath the stalagmite was a faint azure glow. It spread throughout the water, enhanced and swirled by the properties of the liquid, casting dancing beams here and there against the walls, ceiling, and smaller hanging stalactites.

Yahzi shifted his head slightly and we all gasped as the light from his still active Flash bounced off the surface of the water and illuminated the walls of the cave. I looked around slowly, my mouth still hanging open, my heart pounding, a faint prickling in the corner of my eye. Dotted here and there between the black and gray stone were glittering streaks of crystal. It flashed and sparkled as Yahzi turned his head from side to side, gazing at it in awe. When he turned his eyes downward into the water, light danced across the surface, lighting up the stalagmite and stalactite and revealing great spirals of crystal twisting through each of them.

I'm not sure how long I stood there, unable to look away from the dancing lights or sparkling crystal. Each flash from the crystal caused the water to glimmer in a different way. It was almost as if the water and the stone were communicating, twinkling and shimmering in their own secret language. There was no doubt in my mind that this was a sacred place.

"Ren, look," whispered Joana, her voice a low rasp. To speak at all seemed to cost her an effort, but she pointed at a patch of wall not far away. A narrow strip of rock led from where we stood to the place she indicated.

I looked and for a moment saw nothing, then a beam of light skated across the rock and I gasped, stumbling forward and reaching out, only just managing to stop myself from touching the pictures carved into the rock. I didn't know much about ancient art, but I knew that touching it was a bad idea.

Yahzi looked up at the carvings, shining his light onto them as he took in their meaning. I was sure he understood what they meant to me. After dreaming and planning for so long, here was what I had been searching for: solid information about Suicune.

The carvings near the top of the wall seemed to depict the story of the Brass Tower, from Ho-oh's communion with the people of Ecruteak to the fire that destroyed its temple. From the remains of the tower emerged three figures, easily recognizable as Raikou, Entei, and Suicune. The last figure at the top showed all three legends leaping away towards some unknown destination. That story was nothing new; I doubted there was a native of Ecruteak alive who hadn't heard it. The next part of the story, however, was something new.

The middle of the wall depicted Suicune coming across a group of lost water Pokemon whose home had been destroyed. Suicune led the water Pokemon to a secluded lake similar to the one I was standing next to. Using its mythical powers, Suicune purified the water in the lake and turned it into a sanctuary for water Pokemon. Suicune and the water Pokemon lived in peace by the lake for a long time. Tragedy struck when a group of poachers discovered and attacked the sanctuary, capturing and injuring many of the Pokemon. Suicune and the remaining Pokemon fought and managed to drive the poachers away, but their home had been destroyed and their friends taken. The final panel of the middle section depicted Suicune standing alone, its head bowed.

I looked for a long time at the beautifully carved image of Suicune. I could feel the sadness the legend felt at having its home destroyed and I longed to reach out and comfort it. My fingers stretched unconsciously towards the image. I shifted just a few inches and felt my fingertips brush against the soft stone. My whole body froze as though it had been filled with ice. I couldn't move or breathe: I couldn't even feel my heart beating.

_Child born of lightning and guided by water, you will watch them burn. _

That voice, haunting, hollow, and so full of sadness…I wanted to scream, but I couldn't move. And suddenly I was no longer looking at stone images, but real, moving versions. I watched in awe as Ho-oh landed on top of the Brass Tower; in horror as the tower was struck by the heavens and burned to the ground, cries of fear and pain echoing from inside it as it fell.

"No!" I tried to shout, struggling against the invisible bonds that held me. There were people and Pokemon inside that tower! They were trapped by the blaze! They were going to die!

_There is nothing you can do to change their fate._

"Please," I tried to beg of the voice, but the force holding me would not loosen. So I stood there and watched the tower burn, feeling tears roll down my cheeks, though none were really there.

Lights blazed from somewhere deep within the smoldering remains of the Burned Tower. It grew brighter and brighter, splitting into reds, blues, and yellows. I was blinded for a moment, then the light faded and I saw, standing around the wreckage of the tower, three beasts. One strong and proud, its long fur the color of flame on wood; the second fierce and wild, its golden body streaked with black; and the third, gentle but powerful, its slim form glowing from within, like the crystal beneath the pure water of the lake. Each beast had a billowing mane and distinctive figure, marking each as the embodiment of fire, lightning, or water.

_We will watch over you. _

Then they were gone, streaking away to unknown locations. Unknown…until Suicune reappeared. I watched with delight as Suicune led the group of water Pokemon to the beautiful lake, felt joy well up within me as the Pokemon lived out their lives in peace and plenty, and felt anger and heart-wrenching sadness as the poachers destroyed their paradise. The bodies of the injured and the mourning faded, leaving only Suicune standing beside the now tainted waters of its beloved lake. It bowed its elegant head, a gentle glow rising once more from within its slender body. I felt a strong urge to reach out to it, but still I was not allowed to move.

The legendary embodiment of water raised its head slowly, carefully, then turned and looked directly at me.

_Be wary young Water Lily. They are coming. _

I was standing on a narrow ledge beside a crystal clear lake, my hand extended before me, my finger tips just brushing the beautiful image of Suicune carved into the smooth stone. My heart raced and tears rolled slowly down my face as I gazed at its graceful figure.

"These are amazing," said Joana softly from behind me.

I jumped and blinked several times. I had the strangest feeling I had been momentarily transported to another place, another time. Had I really just watched the Brass Tower burn? Had Suicune actually spoken to me?

"Are you all right?" asked Joana, looking at me in concern. "You're crying."

I brushed away the tears hastily and forced a smile onto my face. "I'm fine," I said quickly, jerking my head back at the carvings, "it's just, you know, a sad story."

Joana nodded sympathetically, glancing back at the carvings. "Yeah, it is. I've never heard that Suicune guarded water Pokemon, or that it ever had a trainer."

I blinked, confused by her last sentence. "What do you mean had a trainer?"

"The last section, look," she replied, pointing at the bottom portion of the wall.

I looked and saw a third story etched into the stone. It was very short. Suicune stood with a human girl on the edge of a cliff overlooking a city. A strange haze obscured the features of the city, but I was fairly certain it was Ecruteak. I didn't spare much time for the city, however. All my attention was focused on the girl standing next to Suicune.

"It's odd, but I think she kind of looks like you, Ren."

I smiled, still staring at the image. "It will be," I said quietly.

Joana looked up at me in surprise. "What did you say?"

I turned and looked directly into her eyes, grinning for the first time since we had fallen through the floorboards in the Burned Tower. "I said it will be. These carvings are a sign, they must be! They mean I am going to succeed. I'm going to find and capture Suicune."

Joana gaped at me for a few moments, seemingly unable to reply. Then she swallowed and opened her mouth to speak. "Ren-"

"Ren!" The cry echoed around the cave, reverberating joyfully off the walls and ceiling. Both of us jumped and turned to see Sheena waving furiously at us from across the water. I blinked, surprised to see a tunnel behind them. A faint glow was emanating from it, suggesting daylight beyond. Beside Joana was an older boy who looked vaguely familiar and beside him was another girl dressed in workout clothes. They were smiling and waving to us almost as enthusiastically as Sheena.

I heard Signalis laughing from somewhere to my right as I raised my hands to wave back at my friend, excitement and happiness filling me. I looked at Joana and we both started laughing, leaning in to hug each other. I was slightly surprised when Signalis ran over and threw his arms around both us. We returned the gesture as Yahzi strolled over and smiled vaguely up at us. I reached down, scooped him up and kissed him on his velvety nose.

"Good boy, Yahzi. You're the only reason we made it." I looked back to Joana and Signalis, both of whom had tears in their eyes. "We made it," I said again. They nodded. It was enough. Together, the three of us began to pick our way across the ledge, making our way slowly and carefully around the lake towards the small group that stood waiting by the exit.

_Child born of lightning and guided by water_, said a soft voice, almost too low to hear, _you will watch them burn._


	14. Chapter 13: You're Hired

Chapter 13: You're Hired

"Name?" asked the attractive young secretary at the front desk. The headquarters of Olivine Resort Incorporated was an impressive building that stretched several stories into the air. The infrastructure was very modern and the interior was heavily decorated in expensive furniture and famous paintings. The effect was to make sure every person who walked through the doors knew how rich and successful the company was.

"Rain Uzumaki," said Rain, smiling at the woman. He was far more interested in her than in any of the fancy decorations or high-tech devices in the room. She was perhaps a year or two younger than he with long, silky brown hair and a very curvy figure. Of course he hadn't come here to find a date, but was there any harm in trying?

The woman did not look up from her computer screen. "Do you have an appointment, Mr. Uzumaki?"

"Yes," said Rain, flipping some of his long black hair out of his eyes. "Mr. Black is definitely expecting me. I spoke to him yesterday." He wasn't sure how difficult it was to speak to Damian Black, or if doing so was considered impressive in any way, but he couldn't be blamed for trying.

"Hmm," the secretary replied, still not looking at him, "I don't have you on my list. Spell your name for me." Rain obliged as the woman scrolled through the schedule on her screen. "No, I don't see you on here. What time was your appointment supposed to be?"

"Err," said Rain, beginning to feel discouraged, "ten o'clock." He glanced at the digital clock on the wall. It was half past nine.

"Ah, of course, our ten o'clock. You should have said so." She smiled slightly and reached up to activate the communication device in her ear. "Mr. Black, your ten o'clock is here. Shall I send him up now or have him wait in the lounge?" She paused as the man on the other line responded. "Yes, sir, very well." She smiled very slightly and looked up at Rain for the first time. "Mr. Black says you may head upstairs. Top floor: it's the only office. You'll need the pass code to get through the first door. I will send it to your Trainer Band." She flicked her screen then hit a few buttons on her keyboard. Rain's Band beeped twice, indicating that it had received the message. "Don't activate it until you are right outside the door. Once opened, the code is only good for sixty seconds."

Rain raised his eyebrows. He hadn't expected security to be so tight, but perhaps it wasn't that surprising. A public figure dabbling in the Black Market had to be careful. "Right, got it," said the dark haired man, smiling once more at the attractive woman. "Before I head up-"

The woman held up her left hand, her eyes concentrated once more on her computer screen. Rain looked at her hand, confused until he noticed the large diamond ring on her finger. The woman lowered her hand and began typing once more.

"Right…" muttered Rain, moving away towards the elevator. He should have known better.

Damian Black's office was even more impressive than the main lobby. His desk was clearly antique, as was all the other furniture. A portrait of himself was set up behind his chair. It depicted Damian standing next to a large, black Charizard with fearsome looking fangs and smoke drifting from its open mouth. It was obvious at a glance that Damian Black was pretty fond of himself and of power.

The man, or boy in Rain's eyes, sat watching him over the top of his linked fingers. His hair was black and smoothed back so perfectly that not a single strand stood out. He was dressed in a designer suit that was so perfectly pressed and fitted it almost looked photo-shopped. Everything about this person spoke of money, even his eyes, which were bright green.

"So Mr. Uzumaki," Damian said slowly, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth, "based on your own descriptions and the positive reviews you have gotten from some of my other…employees, I am willing to give you a chance at this job. I will pay you one-third of your salary now, deposited directly into your bank account. The rest you will receive when you have completed your task to my client's satisfaction."

"Great!" said Rain, a broad smile crossing his face. He hadn't expected it to be so easy to convince Damian to hire him. "When should I start?"

Damian raised one eyebrow, the strange smirk still on his face. "Wouldn't you like to hear the specifics of the job?"

Rain frowned slightly. What more could there be than follow and collect information? "I suppose I would," he said slowly, feeling slightly apprehensive.

Damian Black leaned back in his luxurious chair, pressing the tips of his fingers together. "My client is a respected individual," he began calmly, his green eyes remaining cold and shrewd, "and they would prefer it not to be revealed that they, or anyone, is more than casually interested in Ren Raikus."

"All right, I'll be discrete," replied Rain.

"I expect you will," chuckled Damian, his expression unchanged, "but that is not all. If, for some reason, Ms. Raikus or anyone else becomes suspicious of your activity, I have been asked to personally ensure it does not become a problem."

Rain felt a chill run down his spine. This guy, despite his younger age and pompous appearance, was obviously dangerous. He didn't need to be physically powerful or even capable of doing any dirty work himself, not when he had billions at his disposal. In the world of illegal trade and capture, money was power. If Damian said he could do something, Rain felt confident that he could.

"Do we have an understanding?"

Rain looked up, hesitating for a moment. He could probably walk away from the deal, perhaps not unscathed but not too much the worse for wear. If he did he would be passing up the opportunity to wash away all of his financial problems and get back at Ren Raikus in one go. Spite and need won over commonsense and he nodded. "Yeah, it won't be a problem."

"Excellent!" said Damian cheerfully, now leaning forward and pressing a button on his computer. "I will send you the specifics of the information my client has requested. You will notice that some requests, such as why she has returned to Johto and which cities she visits are more important than others, such as who she is travelling with. My client expects that Ren will travel alone, assuming her previous companions remain in Orre, which we are confident they will." A strange glint flashed in Damian Black's eye as he spoke, suggesting that Ren's former companions would have no choice but to remain in Orre. Rain did not spare his concern for them. "I want an update every three days, sooner if you discover something important. You can send all reports directly to my secretary, Cynthia. Her contact information should already be stored in your Band. Be sure to use the encrypted system when you send them in."

"Understood," said Rain briskly, rising from his seat. "You can tell your client they won't be disappointed." He strode to the door, still feeling apprehensive. He would do his best to complete this task quickly. The sooner he had his money and was out of Damian Black's employment, the better.

Damian Black leaned back in his chair as the door closed behind Rain Uzumaki. He placed the tips of his fingers together, smiling his familiar half-smile. "I certainly hope you can live up to your word, Mr. Uzumaki. I certainly do."


	15. Chapter 14: Looks Like I'm Stuck w Them

Chapter 14: Looks Like I'm Stuck With Them

Signalis, Joana, and I needed several days to recover from our ordeal in the cave. Laila and Yahzi spent the time relaxing and recuperating at the Pokemon Center under the care of Nurse Flowers (her ancestors eventually got tired of sharing the same name and started giving their children unique names). Though Laila had been badly shaken by the fall, she hadn't been too seriously injured. By the end of the first day in Flowers' care, she was on her feet and inspecting every inch of Yahzi, of whom she was highly protective.

I was pleased to discover that the familiar looking boy Sheena had enlisted to help her was Mark Secritious, an old friend and something of a rival from my days in Orre. We spent a few enjoyable afternoons talking and laughing about our time exploring ruins and digging for fossils with Kristy and Jason. Mark had been convinced there was a way to revive extinct Pokemon using traces of their DNA. I had thought he was crazy, but had enjoyed the search for remains.

We'd never found anything significant, and after a few weeks Mark had announced that he was going to travel to Johto to start researching legends there. I remembered a conversation I had had with him in private not long after we'd met when he told me about his obsession with the legendary Pokemon, Lugia. I had admitted to him, one hopeless Pokemon fanatic to the other, that I had similar feelings about Suicune. I was pleased that I had the chance to talk legends with him again, especially in Ecruteak City.

Mark's girlfriend, Lexie, was not quite as enthusiastic about Lugia, or any legendary Pokemon, as Mark was, but her passion for helping people and keeping Ecruteak safe had appealed to him. They seemed to be well suited to each other; a nice balance.

The rest also allowed me to learn more about the people I had been trapped with: Signalis and Joana. Signalis prided himself on being a skilled trainer, and more specifically, skilled at identifying which Pokemon had the most unique properties. He had been top of his class in this field and used this skill to carefully select the Pokemon he trained. He told me stories about how, when he had first started, he had captured many Pokemon, but had chosen to keep and train only a handful. These choices had included a wily and rambunctious Dratini (now the Dragonair I had seen battle), a sneaky Metang that had caused a lot of trouble for a Hoenn village, and an oddly colored Magikarp that was now an oddly Gyarados. Naturally I was very intrigued by the Gyarados. I had a Gyarados of my own—there weren't many water Pokemon I had not trained at some point—but I had never seen one in the strange red hue Signalis described. After much pestering, he finally agreed to show me his prized Pokemon once Professor Mulberry, a young researcher in Hoenn, had finished examining it. The only Pokemon he refused to deal with was, for whatever reason, Jigglypuff. His exact words were, "They are stupid, useless, pink puffballs that have absolutely no reason to even exist." Well, everyone has something.

Joana was different. She believed in allowing Pokemon to choose her and not the other way around. This was what made the bond between her and her pink Furret so strong, and why the small Pokemon had been able to track her down. She did not force her Pokemon to stay with her, but allowed them to leave her company when they felt it was necessary. This was why she had only two Pokemon companions at the moment: Furret and Leafeon. Naturally I was also intrigued by Leafeon as evolutionary forms of Eevee were relatively rare. We decided to introduce the small grass type to Laila, and the two hit it off immediately. They walked around together day after day, often with Yahzi tagging along behind. Joana was delighted by the match. She told me Leafeon rarely got along with any other Pokemon besides Furret.

I also had the chance to spend time with the people who had gone to such lengths to find us. Sheena, as she had told me when we met, wanted to become a gym leader, though she hadn't yet settled on a single type to train. She said she didn't want to worry about that until she had completed most of her field experience. Her dream was to open a dream in her hometown, a small island a few miles off the coast of Olivine. It was a place that didn't produce many Pokemon trainers at all, and Sheena was one of the few to attend a school like Cianwood Prep. In short, she was something of a celebratory in her home town, and she worked very hard to be successful. She was a firm believer in daily training, both for her Staraptor and Lapras and for herself. I found myself being inspired to join her on morning runs.

Lexie was incredibly athletic as well and joined us on a few of these runs. As a member of Ecruteak's Citizen's Watch she was required to stay in good physical shape. It was rare—she told me one morning—that she had to face any actual emergencies. Usually she only had to deal with cases of tourists getting lost and people getting separated from their Pokemon in the winding alleyways. She was happy in her work, though, and had completed five of her required six months. "When I finish my service," she said on the sixth morning when we stopped for a rest, "I'm going to start travelling again. The skills I've learned with the Watch, I'd really like to put them to use in other parts of the world. In fact, I've been thinking about travelling to Fiore and applying to the Rangers' Union." I had smiled at this. I could easily imagine Lexie wearing a Ranger Uniform and patrolling Fiore with her Walrein and Unfezant.

A week passed before I realized it. I was still staying at the Pokemon Center because they had the most reasonable rates for travelling trainers. On the eighth day of my stay I awoke to realize that I was fully recovered from my ordeal. I stretched my arms and legs, feeling my joints pop and creak as they became accustomed to usage once more. I smiled and sat up, looking around at the dimly lit room. The only light was the faint glow of dawn that drifted in through the window. I rolled over and smiled as I saw Yazhi curled up beside me, his round head tucked snuggly under one paw. Laila lay beside him, her long fin-like tail wrapped protectively over his plump form.

I got up slowly so as not to wake them and tip-toed over to the window to look out at the sunrise. I was on the second floor of the center so I couldn't see much beyond the buildings surrounding us, but I could just make out the faint edges of the Tin Tower in the distance. I leaned on the window frame, my mind drifting back to my last few minutes in the cave when I had seen the vision of the Brass Tower burning. I still wasn't sure if any of it had been real. It had certainly felt real, but I decided that the doctor who had treated me when we got back to town was probably right that it was a hallucination brought about by stress, exhaustion, and dehydration. Still…

I moved away from the window and decided that a shower would do me good. Afterwards I planned to pack up my possessions and set off again. I felt Ecruteak had shown me all it had to offer on the matter of Suicune. Mark, Joana, and I had visited all of the museums and landmarks the city had to offer. We had even been allowed to see the Crystal Bells that hung at the top of the Tin Tower.

Afterwards Joana had finally worked up the courage to ask me about the strange proclamation I had made in the cave. Given what we had been through together, I decided to reveal my plans to her, and to Mark, though he already suspected as much. She was skeptical at first, but soon decided that it was a fine ambition. After all, few people had thought she could become a decent trainer with her methods, but she had proved them wrong. Mark had been delighted by my confession, immediately sharing his own desire to meet and train Lugia. So people, or at least some people, did not think I was crazy for trying.

"I'm coming with you." Joana's voice was determined and her expression was stern. "I've seen how reckless you can be. You need me to make sure you don't get into any more trouble." We sat in the lobby of the Pokemon Center, our few possessions laid out around us as we packed.

"And you need me to make sure you ignore everything she says," added Signalis, smiling slightly. "A safe life is a boring life."

"I firmly believe I should come with you," chipped in Mark pleasantly. "I may not be a Suicune fanatic, but us legend hunters have to stick together. Don't worry," he added, aware of my growing discomfort at the idea of having so many people travelling with me, "I know how this is supposed to be. When I find a real clue to Lugia, I'll go my own way."

"I can't leave Ecruteak just yet," said Lexie sadly, gripping Mark's hand. "I'm booked for Watch duty for the rest of the month. After that I will get in touch and catch up with you guys." Mark smiled and leaned down to kiss her.

"I'm going to head on to Mahogany Town," said Sheena cheerfully, standing and walking with me a short distance away in order to give Mark and Lexie a private chance to say goodbye. "I want to study up on dragon types. Maybe I'll run into you all again."

"I hope so," I said, hugging her. I really meant it. Sheena had proven what kind of person she was when she had run across Johto to find help. She had the necessary qualities to become a great gym leader. "And you know how to contact us. I want to see you when you finish your field experience and start your gym."

"I expect you to challenge me when I do," she said happily, hugging me back.

"I definitely will," said Joana, rushing forward and hugging Sheena as well. Signalis only smiled and offered his hand. He wasn't great with emotional displays.

We said further goodbyes and waved off Sheena and Lexie as they left the center. I felt sorry to see them go, but at the same time I was relieved that I didn't have too many travelling companions. Joana, Signalis, and Mark were more than I had planned for, but I couldn't turn them away. I had a connection with each of them that overrode my anti-social tendencies.

"So," said Joana, smiling at me as we finished the last of our packing, "where are we headed?"

"Well, I want to find the lake that was Suicune's sanctuary until the poachers attacked. I know the odds of that are pretty long, but I figure we can start by heading to Violet City. Their big into ghost and psychic types there and they may be helpful."

"Sounds like a good idea to me," said Joana, swinging her small bag over her shoulder and straightening up. She hesitated for a moment before asking, "Isn't that awfully close to Cherrygrove?"

"I wouldn't say it's close," I mumbled, picking up my own bag and checking to ensure that all of my Pokeballs were safely clipped to the side of my belt. "Why do you ask?"

"Because, you know," said Joana, avoiding my eyes.

"I think she means you should visit your parents," said Mark happily, walking up and grinning at us. "The way I hear it, you haven't exactly been on speaking terms with them recently."

"I-" I began, but I was interrupted by Signalis.

"You did almost die recently. Not saying that means you should go crying to your mommy, but-"

"Oh, there's no crying to anyone," sighed Joana, rolling her eyes. "Honestly, Signalis, you're so unhelpful sometimes."

"Hey, I'm on your side," muttered the green haired boy, annoyed.

"I think what they're trying to say is that you need to contact them," said Mark gently, leading the way out the door.

I sighed and didn't answer. Laila was sleeping inside her Pokeball, but I could guess what she would say if she were present. She would side with the others, and the truth was I had been thinking a lot about my family over the last week. I had also thought about them in the cave, but it had been hard to concentrate on anything other than the darkness in there. Once I was safe and recovered enough to think rationally again, I had decided that the time had come to reach out to Mom and Dad. What if I had died when I fell through the floor of the Burned Tower? What would it have done to my parents to know that we had never settled our differences?

I had decided to do something, but I hadn't intended to do it so soon. In fact I had pushed the plan to some time after I completed my quest. But perhaps my subconscious had had other ideas. Perhaps that was the real reason I had settled on Violet City as my next destination. I sighed again and twirled a strand of my hair, not looking at any of them. If I did decide to go home, they would have to stay behind. My reunion was bound to be unpleasant and there was no point in forcing my friends to go through the ordeal as well.

With a final sigh I hoisted my bag more securely on my shoulder and quickened my pace to take the lead. I should have just stayed in Orre. My life would have been so much simpler if I'd entered the championship with Jason and Kristy.

As we reached the edge of the city I felt a strange chill creeping up the back of my neck. I turned and looked around at the buildings and bushes surrounding me. I was almost positive I had seen something following us out of the corner of my eye.

Leaving behind her friends and family, 18 year old Ren Raikus sets out to capture Suicune. What was meant to be a solitary and personal journey quickly turns into an exasperating battle of personalities and Pokemon as Ren finds herself surrounded by the unlikeliest group of misfit companions. As if that wasn't enough, Ren soon realizes that someone is oddly interested in her quest.

When I finally decided to embark on my journey to capture Suicune, I intended to do it alone. I left behind everything: friends, family, and most of my Pokemon. Now I can't seem to get away from all the people who have insisted on joining me, and to make matters worse, some weirdo has sent his goons out to stalk me. This quest is going to be a lot more complicated than I thought.


	16. Chapter 15: Fandom can be Difficult

Chapter 15: Fandom can be Difficult

"Four days," growled Signalis, his annoyance evident from all the way across the room. "It took us four days to get here." He glared across at where I was standing, collecting my Pokeballs from Nurse Iris. "I know where I'm going," he continued in a high pitched voice that was clearly supposed to be me, "I've travelled this way a hundred times! Got a lost a hundred times."

I ignored him, deciding that his snide remarks weren't worth noticing. Okay, so I wasn't that great with directions. Who was? My Trainer Band was still broken so I didn't have my maps and I had refused to allow Mark to use his until the evening of day three. We had only been a little off track…I mean, it usually takes two days to travel from Ecruteak to Violet by foot if one travelled as the Murkrow flies. Four days was hardly an unreasonable time.

Joana laughed as she sat down next to Signalis. "You're so impatient. I thought we made good time."

Mark nudged me with his elbow and grinned. "I think you knew where you were going, you just needed a little help. While we're here, you should find a place to get your Trainer Band fixed. It's useless to you like that." He eyed the crack running through the side.

Before I could reply, Nurse Iris chimed in, "Oh, there's a great repair shop just around the corner. You'll get a great deal there if you tell them I sent you. Your friend is right, you can't go around without a functional Trainer Band."

"Thanks," I said, somewhat grumpily.

Once we had all collected our Pokemon from the nurse we set off to find the Violet City Trainer Shop. It wasn't a particularly clever name, but it was effective and easy to locate. As I wasn't the only one who's Band needed repair, and as Nurse Iris had let us give her name, the man behind the counter gave us a great group discount.

"And when I get 'em fixed," he said, smiling, "you three should be more careful. These look like they been through hell."

We glanced at each other and had to stifle our laughs as the man took our Bands into the back to begin working.

"I wouldn't say it was hell," said Joana happily, "just quite unpleasant."

"Yeah," agreed Signalis, "hell is having the great Ren Raikus lead you in circles for two days because she's too-"

"Raikus?!" The shout came from the doorway. Signalis, Joana, Mark, and I all spun around to see a short kid with badly dyed blond hair, large glasses, and lightning marks on his sleeves staring openmouthed at us. He couldn't have been older than eleven or twelve. Before any of us could reply he spotted me, let out an exclamation of delight, and sprinted towards us. "Oh man, oh man, it is you! A real live Raikus right in front of me!"

I blinked several times, momentarily speechless. A real live Raikus? What was I, some exotic new species? The boy stopped very close to me and hopped anxiously from one foot to the other, his eyes scanning my face, hair, clothes, even dipping down for a look at my shoes. I was very uncomfortable.

"Err," I said, taking a step backwards from the boy. "Hello, can I help you?"

"Oh, you're talking to me! I mean, umm, hi. Wow, can I just say how awesome it is to meet you!"

"Uh huh," I said as Signalis snickered behind me. I aimed my elbow in the direction of his laughs and felt it connect with his ribcage. He huffed and I was satisfied. "Well, it's nice to meet you, too, uh, what's your name?"

"Oh! I'm Volts! Volts Magnem! I'm an electric type trainer just like all the Raikus. I'm a huge fan of your family and I can't believe I'm getting to meet one of you in person. Can I battle you?"

The request was very sudden and I felt somewhat taken aback. I wasn't used to fandom and I wasn't sure how to handle admirers, particularly those that thought I was someone I was not. The poor kid was crazy for electric type trainers and I was a water type trainer. Perhaps my reputation wasn't as brilliant as I had begun to think if fans of the family didn't know that I had branched off.

"A battle? I don't know, kid, have you even been a trainer for very long?"

"Oh yeah, sure I have," said Volts cheerfully, pulling a Pokeball off his belt. "I started a little over a year ago and I already have two awesome electric type Pokemon. Oh please let me show you what they can do! I know you'll be impressed and I want to see your Pokemon. I bet they're all extremely powerful and rare. I know I can't win, but I could learn from the best! Please!"

I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. I glanced over and saw Joana and Mark grinning at me. Mark shrugged and Joana nodded encouragingly. On my other side Signalis gave me a challenging look that clearly said, _What, are you scared of a newbie?_

I certainly couldn't let that pass. I turned back to Volts and smiled. "All right, kid, I'll battle you. But I should tell you beforehand that I'm not a traditional Raikus trainer."

The young boy didn't seem to be listening. He cheered and dashed out of the store. "Yay! Come on, there are some practice arenas real close by!"

"How cute," said Signalis as we followed him out, "you have a fan. Too bad you'll break his little electric heart when he finds out you train water types."

"It is kind of a shame," said Joana thoughtfully, "but I'm sure Ren knows a lot about electric types, even if she doesn't train them. And she's still a champion battler."

"And you do have some rare Pokemon," said Mark, his tone amused. "Even if they will be at a disadvantage."

"Disadvantages are only as great as you allow them to be," I replied, a slight smile tugging at the corner of my mouth. It would be interesting pitting my water types against Volts' electric types, though it would still be unfair for him. Type advantages meant little if your opponent had seven years more training, and I would be battling with two of the most formidable Pokemon I owned.

The practice arenas were close to the shop and Volts had already reserved one of them by the time we reached him. He stood at one end, bouncing up and down in his excitement. "I'm ready," he called to me as I took my position on the other end of the small arena.

"Likewise," I replied. "Mark, will you referee?"

"Sure thing," said Mark, taking his position at the side of the arena. "What are the conditions of the battle?"

"A two on two," shouted Volts, already unclipping a Pokeball from his belt.

"Very well, a two on two battle. No time limit. Begin whenever you're ready."

"Okay Pichu, let's do this!" Volts tossed the ball into the air. It spun for a few moments then opened and spilled red light into the arena. The light took the form of a small yellow and black Pokemon with red cheeks. It shook its head and grinned at me from across the arena.

"Pichu, the pre-evolved form of Pikachu," I said quickly to myself, unclipping one of my blue Pokeballs. "Reasonably powerful attacks, but unable to use signature moves without causing injury to itself." I liked to talk to myself when I battled, particularly on the rare occasions when I battled blind. That was the term used by trainers who were not using Trainer Bands. "All right Laila, let's take it easy on this one." I tossed the blue Pokeball into the air and watched the silver light twist into an elegant Vaporeon.

"Wha…a Vaporeon? Why would you use that against an electric type? Why do you even have a water Pokemon?"

I chuckled and grinned at Volts. "Sorry, Volts, but like I said, I'm not a traditional Raikus. I'm Ren, water type trainer and three time champion of the Whirl Cup."

I might as well have slapped the poor boy across the face. "You…you don't train electric types? But you're a Raikus!" His expression slowly shifted from confused to confident. "Well, I guess I will win this battle, then. Pichu, Thundershock!" Sparks leapt from the little electric type's cheeks as it powered up its attack.

"Laila, Dig." Laila aimed a small water attack at the ground as she dug into it, disappearing beneath the earth. Pichu's Thundershock hit the ground where she had been, but had no effect her. "Lesson one: never underestimate your opponent."

Volts looked momentarily stunned, then he commanded his Pichu to use Light Screen. The little Pokemon was still slightly dazed from Thundershock's recoil, but it managed to raise the Light Screen. There was a soft rumble, then Laila burst through the ground behind Pichu.

"Aurora Beam," I said, then added, "half power." Battling baby Pokemon with fully evolved Pokemon could be dangerous. There had been a heartbreaking story in the news when I was young about how a new trainer's Squirtle had been killed by a Hyper Beam attack from a Tyranitar. Neither the trainer nor the Tyranitar had meant for it to happen, they had just been showing off, but there was no way to undo what had happened. It was very unlikely that Laila's Aurora Beam could do that kind of damage to this Pichu, but it could still really hurt it.

Laila opened her mouth and shot a weakened beam of rainbow light at her opponent. It made contact and the little Pichu let out a high squeak as it was knocked the ground. It growled softly and tried to push itself back up, but fell back to the ground, unconscious.

"Return," said Volts, recalling his Pichu. "I only got Pichu a month ago. I guess it's not that surprising that it couldn't stand up to that attack. But my next Pokemon won't have the same problem! Come on Ampharos, win this for me!"

I watched as the large, bipedal Pokemon materialized, the red orbs on its head and tail flashing in a challenging sort of way. It stared at Laila who was standing close enough to make her fur stand on end.

"Thunder Punch!" shouted Volts. Laila darted away from the larger electric type as sparks flew from its fist. Speed was her specialty and avoiding physical attacks was our main strategy. Ampharos ran after her, pulling its fist back, but Laila just darted off in a zigzag, running around and around the arena.

"Acid Armor," I said, watching her dart this way and that. She did not slow down as her body began to glow silver/blue, protected against accidental hits. "Lesson two: be prepared even at your best. Laila, Sand Attack."

Laila stopped running and spun around, stirring up dust as she did so. In one fluid movement she swept her tail across the ground, sending dirt and small bits of debris at Ampharos. The larger Pokemon jumped away to avoid impairing its vision.

"Charge!" Ampharos raised both of its arms at its trainer's command. The orbs on its head and tail flashed and sparks flew from its body as it powered up an attack.

"Laila, Water Pulse and Dig!" I shouted, feeling adrenaline coursing through me. Without my Band I couldn't accurately estimate the power of Ampharos' attack, but I could guess well enough from experience. Laila let out several short barks and sent a wave of water at her opponent before diving underground again.

"Aim a Thunderbolt at the hole!" called Volts, his hands now clenched into fists.

Ampharos had been thrown off balance by the Water Pulse, but it quickly righted itself and sent a bolt of lightning at the place where Laila had disappeared. In the same moment Laila sprang out of the hole and slammed into the electric type, hard. She kicked off, using the big Pokemon's body to propel her away. Ampharos attempted to grab hold of her tail, but Laila was too fast, scampering away and zigzagging around the arena once more.

"Argh, stop it! Use Thunder Wave until it can't move!"

"Aurora Beam!" Laila opened her mouth to power up the attack as electricity sparked across the arena. It was more difficult for her to aim when she moved and I could see the idea in her eyes before she made her move. She spun around, planting her paws firmly into the earth and facing Ampharos. Electricity sparked around her, causing her fur to stand on end and her tail to twitch in an agitated fashion. Her mouth already open and attack charged, it mattered little that her body was held in place by the Thunder Wave attack. The powerful rainbow beam shot forward and made contact with Ampharos. It let out a cry, knocked over by the blast.

If I had had my Trainer Band I was confident I would have seen very low health readings for Ampharos. My suspicions were confirmed when I looked at Volts and saw the look of defeat on his face as he read the readings from his Band. "Come on Ampharos, you can't lose to a water type!"

Ampharos struggled to its feet, but was immediately hit by a Water Gun attack from Laila. For all her gentleness and her soft spot for small Pokemon, she was ruthless on the battlefield. This last attack was enough to knock Ampharos unconscious.

Looking thoroughly dejected, Volts recalled his Pokemon. "I just don't get it," he said as I walked over to him. "Pichu maybe, but how did you beat Ampharos? There was a clear type advantage."

"There was," I admitted, offering him my hand, "but we have the upper hand in experience and speed. Not to mention I know how to deal with electric Pokemon. I was raised to know how to train them and thus I know how to beat them. Everyone thinks lightning is unpredictable, but if you understand it well enough you can learn how to avoid it. Water, on the other hand, is constantly changing. It can move and twist in ways that nothing else can. That's something many electric trainers don't realize when they take on a water type."

Volts nodded, accepting my words but clearly not pleased about them. "I guess I can see that, but when I get more experienced, I still think I'll be able to beat you. If Ampharos had landed a real hit, your Vaporeon would have been finished."

I sighed and shook my head. "Maybe one day you'll understand."

"Or maybe not," said Signalis as he, Joana, and Mark walked over to join us. "Now, if your wise teacher act is finished, let's get on with what we came here to do."

"Which was?" asked Volts, looking up with interest.

"I want to find a psychic or ghost type trainer. There's a favor I need from them."

"I can help," muttered the young boy, still avoiding my gaze, "there's a place over that way where those types of trainers like to work with their Pokemon. I can send the location to your Trainer Band," he glanced up at me, "or I will when you get it back. Then I'm going to go have my Pokemon healed."

"Thank you," I said kindly, smiling at him. I knew how bad it could feel to lose. "And keep training. And," I added, noticing the look Joana was giving me, "when my Band is fixed I'll send a message to my sister in Alder Village. She runs the gym there. Maybe you can visit her and-"

"That would be awesome!" cried Volts, throwing his arms around me. "Thank you so much!"

I jumped but patted him awkwardly on the back. I was going to have to remember this moment when I actually became a water type master. Adoring fans were a lot more trouble than I'd realized.


End file.
